


Complicated

by vampiregirl93



Series: Complicated [1]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alexandria Safe-Zone, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, F/M, Prison, Secret Relationship, Walkers (Walking Dead)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-02
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2018-05-30 16:23:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 147
Words: 176,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6431623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vampiregirl93/pseuds/vampiregirl93
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kathryn Grimes, 18 year old daughter to officer Rick Grimes, suffered a devastating blow when she was told by Shane that her father was dead when the dead started walking. Having no choice but to evacuate to Atlanta with her step-mother, Lori Grimes, half-brother, Carl Grimes, and her dad's best friend, Shane Walsh, Kathryn feels she'll never be whole again until one day a group that went out on. run comes back to camp with an unexpected face. What's happened to his family since Rick was presumed dead at the hospital? What will he do if he learns that since they've been in camp, his 18 year old daughter has eyes for a certain redneck amongst them?<br/>**I'm writing Daryl as being in his mid 30's. I'll probably figure the actual age later as I write this.**<br/>**DISCLAIMER: I do not own AMC's series The Walking Dead or any of its characters.**</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Writing this on Wattpad and it's one of my more popular works so I'm sharing it with you guys. ALSO, the chapters on here will be off set compared to on wattpad because I started with a prologue instead of an actual chapter so the first chapter will be titled "Prologue" then it'll go from there.

 

> "Don't you dare leave me alone with her," Kathryn cried as she sat alone in her father's hospital room after getting a call from his best friend and partner saying he'd been shot while on the job, "I don't think I could stay in the same house as her if you left me alone. Daddy _please_ wake up." "Miss Grimes," a nurse said sticking her head into the room after knocking on the door, "your mother, brother and your father's partner are here." "She's my _step_ -mother," Kathryn said lifting her head up from the bed where she had placed it. The nurse nodded before stepping back and allowing her step-mother, younger half-brother, and their dad's best friend walk into the room. "How is he," Lori asked as she and her son Carl came to a stop on the other side of the bed. "He's been unconscious since they got him out of surgery," Kathryn said looking down at her father and grabbing ahold of his hand as she spoke, "I got here shortly after they took him back."

 

"Did you skip the rest of school," Shane, her father's best friend and partner, asked her. "I was getting ready to leave school when you called me Shane," she said not looking up from her father, "so there was _nothing_ to skip." Shane nodded to Kathryn as Carl walked around the bed over to her. "Kathryn," his soft voice said causing her to lift her head up to meet his worried filled blue eyes. "C'mere buddy," she said letting go of their father's hand and opening her arms up for him. He lunged forward, wrapping his arms around his older sisters body and crying into her embrace as she looked down at their father over his head and tried rubbing soothing circles into his back the best she could. Kathryn could hear whispering coming from the two older adults in the room and lifted her eyes to see Shane and Lori were whispering back and forth between each other while glancing to her dad every couple of minutes. 

 

"Kathryn are you riding back with me and your brother," Lori asked after a few minutes when she finished whispering with Shane and walked over, taking Carl out of her arms. "No I'm gonna stay here," she said shaking her head, "in case he wakes up." "You've got school tomorrow," Lori said looking down disapprovingly at Kathryn. "I've already informed my school principle about what's going on," she said sending a glare up to her step-mother, "they know I'll be staying by my father's side. Even told me if I needed to I could finish up any of my courses over the summer so that I don't fall behind my class. I'm _staying_ here." Lori looked to Shane and shook her head before turning with Carl in tow and leaving out of Rick's hospital room. "You can go too Shane," Kathryn said when she didn't hear him walk out of the room with Lori and Carl, "I'm not leaving his bedside. I want to be here when he wakes up."

 

"You'll need to go home at some point Kathryn," Shane said walking to sit in the chair across from her on the other side of Rick's bed, "you won't be able to stay here all the time." "I don't _care_ ," she said refusing to look up at him, "he's my _dad_. He'd do the same thing if it was _me_ on this bed and not him." "I know that Kathryn," Shane said, "but he wouldn't want _you_ to do this. He'd want you to finish your senior year out so that you can graduate on time with your class. You can always come straight here after school and spend time with him until he wakes up and gets out." Kathryn continued to glare a whole into the side of the bed where she'd been staring since Shane sat down and started trying to talk her into going home. "Look Lori and Carl need you right now," he said when he didn't get an answer from her, "go home for _them_." 

 

"Lori can handle herself just fine without me," she said refusing to look up at him. "Then go home for Carl," he said, "I know you love your younger brother to death." "He's my _half_ -brother Shane," she said, "get it _right_." "He's still your blood," Shane said and she finally lifted her head up to look at him, "go home. Even if it's just to be there with Carl." Kathryn glared at Shane before standing up and grabbing her bag from school. "Here I know you either walked here from your high school or took a cab," Shane said standing up with her, "I'll give you a ride home." "I'd rather take a cab," she said watching him cautiously, "but thanks anyway."

 

"I really don't mind giving you a ride Kathryn," Shane said trying to talk her into letting him take her home. "I mean it I don't mind Shane," she said glaring at him. She'd never been that comfortable around this man and she didn't want to get in the same car as him. She didn't even like being in this room alone with him. "Just let me know if you hear any changes when I'm at school," she said before turning and walking by him, out the room door and down the corridor of the hospital towards the elevators. She didn't care that he was her dad's friend, didn't mean she _had_ to trust him like the rest of her family seemed to, particularly her step-mother. As she waited for the elevator to open, she turned to look back to her dad's room, seeing Shane standing there in the doorway watching her. Turning back to face the elevator, the doors finally opened and she quickly walked inside, getting away from him as fast as she could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picture of the girl is who portrays Kathryn in case you couldn't guess


	2. Family Fued

  **KATHRYN'S POV**

 

"Still no change," I asked the doctor that was checking up on my dad when I walked into the room right after school let out. "Afraid not Ms. Grimes," he said shaking his head before finishing his notes on the clipboard in his hand and walking out of the room. I sighed as I walked over to the chair I've called _mine_ for the past week as I'd come visit my dad in the hospital room. I sat my messenger bag down beside the chair as I took a seat in it before grabbing ahold of his hand. "Hey Daddy," I whispered as I ran my right thumb over the top of his pale hand, "it's me again, Kathryn. School's almost done with for the year. Graduation is right around the corner. Everyone keeps asking if you'll still make it to the ceremony to see me graduate. I keep telling them the same, that I hope so with all my heart." I take a moment, to steady my voice as I lift my eyes up to the ceiling and using my left hand I wipe away at one of the tears that were threatening to spill over.

 

I've done this all week, as soon as school let out for the day I'd make my way here and sit with him until either a passing nurse or doctor tell me it's time for me to head home. I just sit here with him, holding his hand and speaking to him, just telling him about my day and hoping he'll wake up soon. "I miss you Daddy," I whispered as my voice shook with the emotions I was feeling, "and I'm starting to get scared that you'll never wake up. The doctor says it's because you suffered a traumatic injury and it's trying to heal itself before it allows you to regain consciousness. But I don't know if I even _believe_ that anymore. My teachers are all giving me these sympathetic looks, like I've already lost you. I just can't take those looks anymore. Please Daddy wake up, for me, your little girl." I leaned forward, resting my head on his hand as I felt the tears slowly slip down my cheeks and dampen the sheets underneath him.

 

"Ms. Grimes," I heard a voice say followed by a soft knocking. "Yes," I asked lifting my head up to look at the young male nurse standing in the door as I wiped away my tear stains. "Your step-mother is here to get you," he said, "she said it's time to come home and that dinner is ready." "Okay," I whispered nodding as I wiped away the rest of the tears before looking back down at my dad. I stroked his hand one more time with my thumb before letting go of his hand and picking up my bag. I walked by the nurse who was still standing in the doorway and tried to give me a reassuring smile. I attempted to smile back, even though I am very much _aware_ that it failed to reach my eyes at the given moment. "We'll call you if anything changes," he said placing his hand on my shoulder and once again giving me that same smile. "Thank you," I whispered back nodding as I made my way out to my step-mother's waiting car.

 

**LORI'S POV**

I sat in the car, waiting for Kathryn to walk out of the hospital doors so I could take her home. The car door opened and she climbed in, facing straight ahead as she buckled up and waited for me to pull off. I glanced over at her once before turning my attention ahead of me and pulling off from the curb by the hospital. "I could've got a cab ride home you know," she said after a few minutes causing me to look over at her while she continued to look straight forwards. "I don't think your dad would appreciate me having you take a cab from the hospital to the house every day," I said as I continued driving. The rest of the ride stayed silent as we neared home. "How's he doing anyway," I asked as the house came into view. "Still no change," she said as I parked the car in the driveway, "of course you'd know that if you came to visit more often. He's you're husband for crying out loud!" 

 

**KATHRYN'S POV**

 

"I will _not_ have you speaking to me like that young lady," Lori said glaring over at me as she parked the car. "I guess I just won't talk to you then," I said as I grabbed my bag out of the car and slammed the door shut behind me as I stormed inside, past my scared looking brother. I walked into my bedroom, slamming the door shut behind me before tossing my bag down on the floor and face planting onto my bed and screaming into my pillow. "Kathryn," came the small voice of my little brother as he knocked on my door before opening it. I quickly jerked my head in his direction and looked at him before sitting up on the bed and wiping away my tears that had been shed out of anger. "What's up buddy," I asked as I moved my legs over the side of the bed and he walked the rest of the way into the room.

 

"Were you and Mom fighting again," he asked with sadness in his blue eyes, the same eyes that I shared with him that we got from Dad. "Yeah we were," I said nodding as he walked over to me and sat down beside me on the bed, "did I scare you or something buddy?" "No," he said shaking his head and looking up at me, "I just don't like you fighting with her." "I'm sorry," I said wrapping my arms around him in a sideways hug. "Has Dad woken up yet," he asked looking up at me after we pulled back from our sibling hug. "No," I said sadly as I shook my head, "but I'm going back up there to the hospital tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?" "He will _not_ be going with you," Lori said from the opened door to my room as she glared at me. "I didn't ask _you_ now did I," I asked glaring right back at her, "I asked _Carl_."

 

"I'm his mother," she said refusing to let up on the glare. "And that's his _father_ laying in that hospital bed," I said pointing out towards the direction of the hospital as I shouted at her, "he has the _right_ to go see him. He wouldn't be _alone_ , he'd have _me_ there with him." "That's _exactly_ why he's not going," she said walking into my room, "I don't trust you enough to leave him alone with you like that." "Go to Hell Lori," I shouted in her face, "he's my damn half-brother! He's _my_ blood too!" "Watch your mouth Kathryn," she shouted back. "Or _what_ ," I challenged, "you won't lay a hand on me. You _know_ how much I mean to Dad. He finds out you so much as harmed a hair on my head your ass is on the street. And don't think I haven't noticed the shared whispers between you and Shane." "That's _enough_ ," she said as her face went red with anger. "Get out of my room," I shouted at her and turned my back to see Carl staring up at me with tears in his eyes as his mother slammed the door shut behind her.

 

**CARL'S POV**

 

I've seen Mom and Kathryn fight _before_ , but it's _never_ been that bad. I think this whole thing with Dad getting hurt as put us all on edge. "Carl I'm _so_ sorry you had to see that," she whispered as she walked over to me, "I know you've seen me and your mother fight before, and even _I'll_ admit that was one of our worst times." "I know," I said nodding my head as she knelt down in front of me. "This doesn't change how you feel about me does it," she asked with worry clouding her eyes, "even though your mom gets on my last nerve and isn't my blood, I still love her like she was even though we seem to argue more than anything." "I know Kathryn," I said smiling at her. "Was there something you needed when you came to my room Carl," she asked smiling back at me. "Could you help me with my homework," I asked smiling up at her as she nodded before standing up and holding her hand out to me.

 

**LORI'S POV**

 

I get she's not _my_ child, that she's the product of Rick's first marriage, but she has _no_ right to talk to me like that and in front of Carl as well. For the past week she's been spending any and all of her free time up at that hospital in Rick's room, just waiting to see if he'll wake up. She's got Carl wanting to go up there more than what he's already been. He's got to focus on his school work, like she _should_ , just like Rick would want if he was awake right now. He wouldn't want their studies to suffer because of his injuries at the present time. Sometimes I didn't understand that girl. I get she's a teenager and going to have her moments, but it's _always_ when her dad isn't around to hear. When he's around, she smiling and happy but it's all an _act_ and the second he's not where he can hear or see what's going on she changes her mood instantly. I just don't think she likes me that much.


	3. He's Dead?

**KATHRYN’S POV**

 

“Kathryn, wake _up_ ,” came my step-mother’s annoying voice, “ _now_ Kathryn!” “I’m up,” I shouted back as I rolled over to glare at her, “damn what’s so fucking _important_ that I can’t _sleep_?!” “First off you will watch that language young lady,” she said glaring down at me, “secondly something’s going on. I need you to pack some clothes.” “What do you mean _something’s going on_ ,” I asked sitting up in bed but still glaring at her. “I _mean_ there’s some kind of public safety announcement being aired on the TV and radios about some kind of epidemic and they’re urging for everyone to stay away from those infected,” she said before turning and walking out of my room. “Hey,” I shouted after her as she just left. I threw off my covers and followed her out of my room in nothing more than my tank top and short shorts I wore to bed last night. “What kind of safety announcement,” I asked as we came to a stop in the living room and the TV was on with people in a news room talking. 

 

I walked to stand behind where Carl was sitting on the chair, watching as these people talked about some epidemic as they were calling it, spread across the United States. There was nothing said as to what _caused_ it, just that for some strange reason people were dying and their corpses were being reanimated somehow. “They’re saying to head to secluded areas,” I said looking back to Lori, “or to the refugee center in Atlanta. What about Dad? He’s unconscious right now.” “Shane is as the hospital now trying to find out what’s going to happen,” Lori said calmly as she turned and headed to hers and Dad’s room to pack. “Carl,” I said turning to face him, “go pack a couple bags of clothes.” “Okay,” he said nodding before running off to his room to pack his things. After he was off in his room, I quickly ran to mine to change out of what I was wearing and into a white crop t-shirt, faded blue jeans, and my Timberland work boots Dad got me about a year ago to wear whenever I was at the station with him for the day.

 

After I was changed I grabbed two of my duffle bags and began stuffing them with clothes for however long we’d be stuck in that refugee camp until this all blew over. As I walked back out of my room, Lori and Carl were both walking out of theirs with bags of their own. “We’re going to go meet Shane at the hospital,” she said as she headed for the door, “find out how we’re going to get Rick up to Atlanta.” “Well let’s go then,” I said as I walked past her and out to her car. I walked outside, threw my bags in the back and climbed into the front passenger seat, waiting for her and Carl to come out and get into the car so we could go. After they climbed into the car and Lori got it started, we headed off towards the hospital and everything around us just seemed to be falling apart. I watched as our friends and neighbors shot each other, while others were _eating_ on people. “Carl close your eyes,” I said turning around to see him staring out the window. He looked at me before nodding and quickly closing them. 

 

**LORI’S POV**

 

I glanced over at Kathryn as she looked back to her younger brother, telling him to close his eyes so he didn’t see what was going on around us. Even though we fight constantly, she does look out for him and for that I’m grateful. “You know Kathryn,” I said after a few moments as we drew nearer to the hospital, “they’ll most likely medevac Rick to the hospital. He won’t be left behind.” I looked over at her when I didn’t get a reply, seeing her to be just _staring_ out the front windshield and ignoring the gory scenes going on around us as we drove by. The moment I pulled into the parking lot for the hospital, before I could even stop the car, Kathryn hopped out and was running towards the door.

 

**SHANE’S POV**

 

How the hell was I supposed to tell Lori, Carl, and even _Kathryn_ that Rick was dead? I quickly ran out of there, blocking off his door so that at least those _things_ couldn’t get at him, and made my way down and out of the hospital. As I was heading to the exit, the sound of gun fire all around me, I spotted Kathryn’s reddish brown hair running into the building. “Kathryn get out of here now,” I shouted at her as she continued to run towards me. “No,” she shouted back, “not without my dad!” “Now damn it,” I shouted as she went to run by me but I quickly stuck my arm out, catching her by her waist before lifting her off her feet and dragging her out. “ _No_ ,” she shouted, “not without Dad! _Dad_!” “I’m sorry Kathryn,” I said hating that I was about to do this, “you’re dad’s dead.” “What,” she said going slack in my arms, “no that can’t be. _No_! _Daddy_!”

 

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I continued to struggle against Shane as he pulled me out of that hospital, but my struggles weren’t as strong anymore, not after saying my dad was dead. He just couldn’t be dead, he couldn’t leave me alone with everything that’s happening now. Shane picked me up in his arms when I started to slow him down, carrying me out and back to where Lori and Carl were standing by the car waiting. It was almost like everything was muffled as I sat there in his arms, no longer struggling as I just wanted everything to end. I could just make out the sound of him telling Lori and Carl what he had told me inside an I could only imagine their reactions were the same as mine. I felt myself being sat in the car and buckled in while I continued to stare straight ahead, not seeing anything. I was virtually _alone_ , my dad was dead and I didn’t know where my mom was at this point.

 

When I finally snapped back to reality, Carl was sitting next to me in the back seat while Lori and Shane were in the front and it was dark outside by now. I felt a single tear slip down my cheek as I lowered my head to look down at my hands in my lap. My dad was dead, I didn’t know where my mom was, and the only person left with me I considered _family_ was Carl. Lifting my head up slightly, I looked over to see Carl just staring out the window with his hands on his lap. Moving my hand over, I placed it over his catching his attention instantly. He looked over at me with his sad blue eyes that we both shared from Dad before quickly unbuckling his seat belt and scooting over to the middle of the backseat so that I could wrap my arm tightly around his shoulders as he cried into mine. If I thought he had been heart broken when we found out Dad had been shot, then that was _nothing_ compared to hearing he was dead.

 

The sound of Carl unfastening and then refastening his seat belt gained the attention of both Shane and Lori, Shane driving while Lori was in the passenger seat. I ignored their stares as I tried my best to comfort my brother while all I wanted to do was continue to sulk and cry over the loss of my father. I leaned my head back against the head rest while Carl continued to rest his head on my shoulder, causing me to dose off with him wrapped tightly and protectively in my arms. I could still hear the hushed whispers between Shane and Lori, and at that moment I didn’t care what they were talking about as long as they left _me_ out of it. 

 

**LORI’S POV**

 

As Shane continued to drive on into the night, headed to Atlanta like the broadcast said to do, I glanced back to see that Carl had moved over and was now resting his head on Kathryn’s shoulder and she was laying her head back against the headrest to the backseat. “Hey,” Shane said looking over at me to see I was watching the two in the back, “I’m doing what _Rick_ would have wanted me to do. And that’s get you, Carl, and Kathryn to safety.” “I know Shane,” I whispered looking back up to him before turning fully around in my seat and staring out the window ahead of me, “I’m just worried how Kathryn’s going to act now that he’s _gone_.” “What do you mean,” he asked looking over at me as I sighed. “I really don’t think she likes me for some reason,” I said, “she gets along with Carl just fine, _me_ it’s almost like she hates me with every bone in her body.”

 

“Just give her some time,” he said looking at me and grabbing my hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. “Shane she’s had 13 years. I’ve been in her life since she was 5. And ever since she was old enough to understand, she has not liked me at _all_. She’ll act all nice and everything when her dad was around but then soon after he was out of the house or something she’d act the way she’s been since Rick was in that coma. Shane I don’t know if I can _handle_ her acting like that now that he’s gone and everything seems to be falling apart in the world.” “She’ll change after she finally comes to terms with the fact that you and Carl are _all_ the family she has left. Just give it a bit more time.” I sighed and nodded before turning my attention back to the road to just stare off into space while Shane drove closer to Atlanta.


	4. Camp

**KATHRYN’S POV**

The road to Atlanta we found out was blocked by miles and _miles_ of traffic. Then while leaving me to basically watch Carl, I watch as Lori and Shane ran off to find out what the hell was going on. Turns out they bombed Atlanta, guess that place got too overrun with these _things_. So now here we are, a day later and in some abandoned rock quarry or something and I’m arguing with Lori about where I’ll be sleeping. “ _No_ ,” I said crossing my arms as I stood there next to her while she put up her tent, “I’m not sleeping in the same tent as _you_. You’re not my family. The only _blood_ I have here now is _Carl_ , not you.” “I’m still your mother young lady,” Lori said glaring at me. “ _Step_ -mother,” I said glaring right back, “get it right. And I’m _still_ not sleeping in that tent with you.”

I sighed as she continued to rant about me sleeping somewhere other than in the same tent as her and Carl. I was standing there in the hot Georgia sun in nothing but a white crop tank that showed off my stomach a bit _too_ much for Lori’s liking which was exactly why I wore it, a pair of white washed blue jean fringing shorts, and my Timberland boots as I looked around at the large number of people that made up this group. I had my auburn colored hair pulled back into a messy pony tail as I watched some of our closer group members perk their attention over towards us as we continued to argue over the matter. I allowed my eyes to sweep across the faces watching until I came across these two men, just standing there in front of a tent moved away from the others.

One was standing there with a sleeveless flannel on while the other had on either a muscle tank or a wife beater but I couldn’t be sure from here. Just from where I _stood_ I could tell they had to be brothers or _very_ closely related. The one that seemed to catch my eye the most though was standing with an apparent crossbow slung over his right shoulder as his hand gripped the top of the shoulder strap to hold in into place. Just from the looks of things, these two didn’t like being around others all that much so it made me wonder just _why_ they were here in the first place. After seeming to stare at the two _obvious_ rednecks for too long, I quickly became very uncomfortable where I stood so I turn my attention back to Lori, tuning into her rant as she seemed to be finishing it.

**DARYL’S POV**

I stood next to my brother as I watched this girl have an all-out _shouting_ match with an older woman who _claimed_ to be the girl’s mother but she said differently. “That’s _just_ what this camp needs,” Merle said from beside me causing my head to turn slightly in his direction while my eyes stayed on the teenage girl. “Yeah,” I asked, “what’s that?” “A big mouthed spoiled princess who _has_ to get her way or everyone suffers,” he said turning and heading towards our tent to sit down. “Yeah you said it,” I grumbled as the girl seemed to continue to rant and rave to the older woman. Shaking my head I turned and walked over to where had plopped his fat ass down at., “Hey let’s go out hunting,” I said kicking his boot with my shoe, “big mouth over there starting to give me a headache. And I bet she done scared all the game away from here too.”

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I couldn’t _believe_ Lori. She had turned the argument from me wanting a tent of my own, or to at least sleep somewhere else, to my choice of clothing. What the hell, okay for _one_ it’s hot as hell out here and with no power anymore that means no more AC units or fans to create a breeze. I groaned out as I happened to move my attention back in the direction of the two brothers to see the backs of their heads disappearing into the woods. At least I knew they wouldn’t see me bitching my step-mother out anymore. I don’t really know why I would really care if they saw me bitch her out but I was happy they were leaving so they wouldn’t. Although, they did get enough of a show from our argument that seemed to have entertained most of the camp by now.

At that moment, I was taken out of my thoughts not by Lori’s ranting which she had stopped but by someone’s hand tapping lightly on my shoulder to get my attention. I turned around to see that Korean boy, Glenn, standing beside me. “I uh couldn’t help but over hear your argument with your step-mother,” he said earning a groan from me, “I have a tent that I’m using by myself. You’re more than welcome to share with me if you would rather not share with her.” I looked at him shocked he’d offer after not even knowing me for a _full_ day. I was really considering it but I figured it would make things _very_ awkward for me and him and he seemed like a nice guy. “Thanks,” I said giving a small smile, “but I think I’d be better off in a tent of my own.” He nodded before turning and walking off, now I felt like an ass.

**LORI’S POV**

“Well it’s good to know you didn’t accept his offer just to piss me off some more,” I said causing Kathryn’s head to whip around to glare at me, “does this mean you’ll be staying in _this_ tent then?” “No,” she said firmly still holding her glare. I went to say something else when the older gentleman, Dale, walked up to us. “Ladies,” he said nodding once to us both, “I don’t mean to be nosy by any means but I couldn’t help but over hear what’s going on. Actually the whole camp can hear the debate.” “I’m sorry Dale,” I said looking at him apologetically, “it’s just my daughter wants to fight and not sleep in the same tent as her family.” “ _Step_ -daughter,” Kathryn snarled out, “how many times do I have to _tell_ you that Lori? I’m not your _daughter_ I’m your _step_ -daughter. My only family is Carl now.” I looked back to Dale with a sad smile as he seemed to grin and shake his head.

“If it’s alright with you,” he said nodding to me, “I have a spare bed in my RV. She’s more than _welcome_ to sleep there. And you don’t have to worry about anything _happening_ with her in there where you can’t see her.” “I really wouldn’t want _her_ to impose,” I said shaking my head. “She wouldn’t be,” he said smiling, “I’m offering and I really wouldn’t mind if she stayed in there or not.” “Thank you,” Kathryn said quickly before I could speak up again, “I’ll just go get my things.” “ _Kathryn_ ,” I said as she walked by me to grab her two bags from by the tent. I groaned and raised my hands in defeat, obviously not going to get _anywhere_ with that girl. I watched as she walked back by me and over to Dale with her two duffle bags over her shoulders. I watched as Dale nodded once to me before the two turned and walked off towards his RV, leaving it just me standing there until Shane walked up behind me.

**SHANE’S POV**

“Where’s Kathryn going,” I asked as I walked up behind Lori after the girl walked off with Dale. “She refuses to sleep in the tent with me and Carl,” Lori said glancing back over her shoulder at me after watching the two disappear inside the RV. “Everything will be alright Lori,” I said as I looked down at her to see a worried look on her face. “You say that now but let’s not forget we got dead people walking around eating the living,” she said, “I know she doesn’t like me for some _strange_ reason, but I still worry about her.” “I know you do,” I said as she looked away from me before turning and walking away from me and over to where Carl was sitting next to the little girl named Sophia.

**KATHRYN’S POV**

After Dale showed me which bed I could take, I walked back out of the RV and just stood in the doorway and looked around at the occupants of the camp. I crossed my arms over my chest, almost like I was holding myself as I looked around. Spotting Glenn over by some of the vehicles that the members of the group arrived in, I walked over to him and tapped him on his shoulder like he had me. When he spun around to look at me, I gave him a weak smile. “Hey about earlier,” I said as I looked down to my feet after crossing my arms over my chest again, “it was nice of you to offer, _really_. And I was thinking about accepting to piss Lori off but then I thought that wasn’t fair to you. I hope there’s no hard feelings Glenn.”

“It’s cool,” he said smiling at me as I lifted my head and smiled back at him, “but what’s the deal with you and her anyway?” “Just don’t like her much,” I said simply, “I mean I’ve known her ever since I can remember. She married my dad a few years after he got divorced from my mom and then before everything that happened, _happened_ , I got this feeling she wasn’t exactly faithful to my dad. Worst part is, I think it’s with his best friend. Now that he’s dead, she’s not holding back running to Shane.” “You _really_ don’t like her huh,” he asked smiling while I shook my head. “No I don’t,” I said with a light laugh, “honestly the only thing that’s keeping me from going out there alone is my little brother Carl. So as long as he’s around, I’m staying.” “Good,” he said smiling as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, “I like having you around.”


	5. Can't Sleep

**KATHRYN'S POV**

It was later that night, everyone else had gone to bed but I was still wide awake. I couldn't sleep, no matter how hard I _tried_. So I sat at the table in the RV, my back facing the door and keeping an eye out for Dale to wake up as I had something in my hands that _no one_ other than Dad knew about, my gun. On my 18th birthday, he took me to get it and my permit for it but he's been teaching me to shoot without Lori knowing since I was 15. I had a little lantern sitting on the table top for some light as I took the clip out of the gun and check the chamber to make sure it was completely harmless before I started messing around with it. Shortly after getting it, Dad taught me how to clean it, take it completely apart and then put it back together. This was the only thing that kept my mind off of losing my dad really, just taking the gun apart then putting it back together just to keep myself _busy_.

I don't know exactly how long I had been doing that before I heard the RV door open and then close. I quickly looked over my shoulder startled as I saw Glenn walking into the RV. "Hi," I said looking at him just a little confused. "Saw the light," he whispered as he pointed to the lantern beside me, "can't sleep?" "No," I said shaking my head and motioning for him to take the seat in front of me before I went back to putting my gun back together. "Where'd you get the gun," he asked as he sat down, watching me put it back together. "It's mine," I said not looking up, "my dad got it for me for my last birthday. Lori and Shane don't know about me having it although Shane _knows_ Dad took me shooting for years before getting it for me." "So why doesn't Lori know you have the gun," he asked cocking his head to the side with nothing but curiosity on his face.

**GLENN'S POV**

"She doesn't like guns," Kathryn said looking up at me with just her eyes before going back to her gun in hand, "and now with what happened to Dad before this all happened, she'd kick mine _and_ his ass right now if she knew I had this. I don't really care anyway. I know how to use it, Dad taught me himself." "You really looked up to him didn't you," I asked as I watched her sit the reassembled gun down on the table and lowered her head. "Yeah," she mumbled, "after graduation I was going to go work at the precinct with him for the summer before college. Maybe after graduating there I'd go to the academy so I could work with him when I was done with my schooling." "So you were going to be a cop," I asked as she looked up and smiled. "Yeah," she said nodding, "Lori didn't like that idea too much. _Especially_ when I told Dad with her right there in the same room so she could hear too."

"Do you do everything just to tick her off," I asked laughing quietly. "Not everything," she said shaking her head with a small smile, "I want to do a lot of things that _she_ doesn't like. Like me having this gun which I should probably go hide again. Be right back Glenn." I nodded and watched as she picked up the clip and her gun before standing up and walked back towards where the beds were. I felt kind of bad for the girl. She thought of herself as being completely alone in this world now that her dad was dead. She admitted that she had her little brother and as long as he was here she'd stick around but if he wasn't she would be gone. When I heard her footsteps coming back, I looked up to see her trying to force a smile on her face.

"You should really try and get some sleep Kathryn," I said looking up at her as she stopped by the seat I was sitting in. "I know but every time I _try_ I just keep seeing my dad's face," she said as her smile fell from her face and she looked down to her feet. "Would you like me to sit with you," I asked looking up at her, "until you fall asleep?" "You can," she whispered, "I just don't want you to feel uncomfortable doing that." "I offered," I said smiling as I held my hand out to her, "come here." I watched as she smiled at me and took my hand, allowing me to pull her down to sit beside me. As she sat down, she scooted against me and rested her head on my shoulder so that I could wrap my arm around hers. "Get some sleep," I whispered as I watched her eyes grow heavy with sleep before completely closing.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I woke up to the sun shining in my face from the window I was facing. I sat up in bed, not even remembering how I got there until the memory of not being able to sleep and Glenn sitting with me came rushing back. I felt a blush creep up onto my cheeks as I realized I must have fallen asleep on him shortly after his offer to sit with me until I did go to sleep. I figured he must have carried me to bed shortly after then left to go back to his tent. After getting the blush to disappear from my cheeks, I stood up and got dressed into some clothes similar to what I wore yesterday so that I could join the world of the very few left _living_ even though it now seemed to be the world of the _dead_.

After slipping my boots on and standing up, I turned around and grabbed my gun that I had stuck under my pillow last night and slipped it into the waist band of my shorts and pulled my top down over it. Running my fingers through my hair as I walked out of the RV, I quickly pulled it up into a messy bun and looked around to figure out just _what_ I was to do today. Spotting Glenn over near Dale and some other man I think named Jim, I walked over to at least say _thanks_ for sitting with me last night. As I walked over, I glanced around and spotted one of the two brothers from yesterday, the one who seemed to have a crossbow _welded_ onto his shoulder. When the man seemed to be moving to look up, I quickly looked away, feeling yet _another_ blush color my cheeks for almost getting caught staring.

When I got to where Glenn, Dale, and Jim were standing in front of the RV, I tapped on Glenn's shoulder again and asked to speak to him alone. Once he nodded and motioned for me to lead the way, I led us _away_ from the rest of the group so that we were well out of ear shot around the others. "About last night," I said looking up to him after we came to a stop, "thanks. For staying with me until I could fall asleep." "Hey it was no problem," he said smiling, "I'll be here if you need me for something like that, okay Kathryn. Don't be afraid to ask." "Thanks Glenn," I said smiling as I moved forwards and wrapped my arms around his neck as his went round my midsection.

I opened my eyes while still in Glenn's warm hug but my eyes landed on one person in particular when I felt like I was being watched. And I _was_ being watched, by that one brother. I locked eyes with him for just a second before I turned my attention away from him and pulled out of Glenn's hug to give him a warm smile. I opened my mouth ready to say something to Glenn when I heard my named being called, by you guessed it _Lori_. "Gotta go," I sighed as I looked up at him with a _just kill me now_ look on my face earning a laugh from him. I smiled one last time at him before turning away and walking over towards my _annoying_ step-mother.

**LORI'S POV**

" _What_ ," Kathryn growled at me once she was in front of me after walking away from Glenn, crossing her arms and sticking her right hip out like she was something else. "You're going to help me and the other women with the laundry," I said ignoring her rudeness because it _obviously_ wasn't going to go away, "Carol, Andrea, and Amy are already down by the water washing some clothes. Our job is to help Jacqui to fold the ones that are already dry and wait for them to bring up the newly washed clothes. Now c'mon." I heard her groan out as she followed me over to the makeshift clothes line that the others had set up before our arrival to the group. I smiled and greeted Jacqui as Kathryn walked by us and got straight to work pulling the dried clothes off the line and folding them.

I glanced over at Kathryn at one point, when we all had started tending to the laundry, to see her glancing up every now and then from the clothes in her hand before looking back down at them and folding them. When she glanced up again, not even ten seconds later, I looked up to see just what it was that had her attention. Thinking I'd see Glenn in her line of sight, I was proven wrong when I spotted that one redneck, Daryl, sitting by where one of the fires burn and skinning one of the many squirrels he had around him. "Kathryn I want you to stay _away_ from that man," I said looking back to her and catching her completely off guard.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said shaking her head with her eyebrows raised and going back to folding the shirt in her hand. She proved otherwise when a few seconds later she was looking up at that man again. " _Kathryn_ ," I said more sternly causing her to turn a glare my way. "You're _not_ my mother," she said glaring fiercely, "and I'm 18. I can do whatever the hell I _want_ to." I watched as she threw the shirt she had been folding down into the basket with the other clothes and stomped off away from me, and down to where the water was. I sighed and shook my head, I was getting absolutely _nowhere_ with this girl and anyone with eyes could see that.


	6. Run Gone Wrong

**KATHRYN’S POV**

It’s been a few weeks since we’ve come to stay at the rock quarry. Glenn’s come into the RV every night since that first night, just to sit with me until I could fall asleep and then every morning I’d wake up in my bed and he would be gone. I’ve almost gotten caught _multiple_ times by the man named Daryl while staring at him. Lori still doesn’t like me watching him but I really could care less what she likes at this point. Glenn told me last night before I fell asleep that he and a small group were going into Atlanta to scavenge for some supplies. I woke up early this morning, so I could see Glenn and the others off before they left. I walked out of the RV, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I looked around for Glenn, finding him instantly around some other members of the group. “Hey,” I said walking up to him as he turned around to face me.

“Hey,” he said smiling at me as I smiled sleepily at him, “I was almost sure you wouldn’t be up this morning to see us off. It was pretty late when you finally fell asleep.” “I’m up,” I said smiling, “how long y’all supposed to be gone anyway?” “Um,” he said glancing around at the members who were leaving with him as they got ready, “probably most of the day but we’ll _definitely_ be back before dark, okay?” I went to say something when Merle, Daryl’s older brother, walked by us and opened his big mouth. “Don’t ya worry Princess,” he said, “we’ll bring yer boyfriend back in one piece.” I felt my jaw _basically_ drop to the floor as I looked back to Glenn to see he was looking to the ground with his eyes wide and a blush evident on his face as I’m sure it was on mine.

**GLENN’S POV**

Well it’s nice to know I wasn’t the _only_ one caught completely off guard by Merle’s uncalled for comment about Kathryn and myself. I glanced over at Kathryn to see she was looking at me, her mouth opening and closing like a fish but no sounds or words were coming from her mouth. I couldn’t fight the smile and chuckle that came after watching her for a few moments. Finally gaining some control over herself, she began laughing with me as we let what Merle said slide right on by and not bother us like it _probably_ should have as we were nowhere _near_ dating. “I guess I should get going,” I said after the laughing died down and she wiped tears from her eyes, “I’ll see you when I get back.” “Be careful out there Glenn,” she said before moving forward and hugging me once again.

**KATHRYN’S POV**

It’s been a few hours I’d say since the group left for Atlanta. We heard a man on the CB radio not _too_ long after the group left, but he couldn’t hear us. I think there was too much static or something, even _Shane_ tried to get through to him and warn him about Atlanta. I was sitting on the steps to the RV, leafing through one of the few books Dale told me I could read if I wanted to, trying to kill time until our group returned and I knew Glenn was safe. Him and Amy were the only two real friends I had in this group. I just kept to myself around the others. I glanced up from the book in my hand when I heard Amy talking to Lori about the mushrooms I think from over by the fire. I groaned when I caught sight of Lori standing up and walking over to where I was sitting.

“ _What_ ,” I asked looking back down at the book and hoping she’d go away. “I want you to keep an eye on Carl while I’m out,” she said like I didn’t know _where_ she was going. “Yeah I’ll watch Carl so you can go _screw_ Dad’s best friend,” I snapped as I stood up and stared her in the eyes. I laughed as I watched her face seem to almost _drain_ of all color. “I don’t know what you think you know but I assure you that you’re wrong,” she said as her voice wavered. “I’m 18 Lori,” I said shaking my head at her in disbelief, “I’m not stupid. I know what sneaking around looks like.” She took a deep breath before walking off away from me and towards the RV. “Hey Dale I’m heading out,” she called up as she looked to him up on top of the motorhome.

**AMY’S POV**

I watched as Lori walked away before turning my attention to a still slightly fuming Kathryn who was walking over towards me. “I know I get the same answer every time I ask you this,” I said smiling as I glanced at her while she continued to hold a book in her hands, “but why do you always give her such a hard time?” “My dad hasn’t been dead a _month_ and she was already screwing his best friend,” she said calmly and looked over at me, “it makes me wonder if she and Shane had something going on before this all started happening.” “I see,” I said nodding before turning back to what I was doing, “so you and Glenn, anything going on there?” “W-what,” she asked as her face turned bright red, “there’s nothing going on between me and Glenn.” “Oh come _on_ Kathryn,” I said laughing as her face turned another shade of red, “I’ve seen Glenn come out of Dale’s RV _late_ at night sometimes.”

**KATHRYN’S POV**

“Look,” I said sighing in defeat, “there’s _really_ nothing going on between me and Glenn. I just can’t sleep at night anymore. All I see is my dead father’s face. It haunts me.” “I’m sorry Kathryn,” she said quickly moving over to wrap me in a hug. “I think I’m gonna go lay down,” I said pulling out of the hug and standing up. I let Dale know so he could keep an eye on Carl for me even though I was supposed to but I felt a headache coming on from thinking about my dad. I hadn’t really done that in almost a week and now for some strange reason, _especially_ after hearing that man’s voice, I can’t stop wishing it was my dad’s voice. As I laid down and closed my eyes, I saw my dad’s face again but without all the tubes and wires like last time, he was smiling at me.

I’m not sure how long I was asleep for before I finally walked out of the RV rubbing my eyes free of sleep and looking around. I was hoping to see Glenn and the others back but there was no sign of them and spotting Amy over by the fire pit, looking pissed off and worried. Walking over to her, I glanced around to see everyone looking worried. “Hey what’s going on,” I asked as I sat next to Amy in time to catch her sniffling. “The group,” she said looking over at me, “they’re trapped in the department store they went to when they left to Atlanta.” “What,” I asked as I was hoping this was some _sick_ joke, “no. Glenn said they’d be fine. They’d come back safe and sound.” I watched as she looked at me, fear and unshed tears in her eyes as I felt my own watering.

I looked around, watching Lori, Shane, and Carl all over there having a laugh while I was virtually about to break down at any moment. Before I could look back to Amy beside me, before I could even utter another sound to her, I heard what sounded like car alarm headed our way. I jumped up with Amy from where we sat and ran over to the RV. “All be damned,” I heard Dale say from above us. “What is it,” I asked looking up at him then over towards the road. “Stolen car is my guess,” he said lifting his binoculars back up to his eyes to watch. I turned my attention back to the road and watched as this red Challenger pulled to a stop in front of the RV and one person stepped out.

“ _Glenn_ ,” I shouted when I spotted his worn out baseball cap pop out of the driver side of the car. He turned to me and smiled after popping the hood for Shane and Jim as I ran over to him and jumped into his arms. “Told you I’d come back Kathryn,” he said smiling as his arms wrapped tightly around me as my feet came off the ground. Amy was bombarding Glenn with questions about Andrea but I couldn’t really care because my best friend was back and safe. I turned my attention back to the second approaching vehicle, some sort of truck, and watched as Andrea stepped out of the back and Amy ran straight to her the second she could see her. I watched as Morales greeted his wife and two kids as I felt myself shaking with a silent sob.

“Come here,” Glenn said placing his arms on my shoulders and turning me around where I rested my head in the crook of his neck and watched as Lori tried to talk to Carl and calm him down. “How’d y’all get out of there anyway,” I heard Shane said as I felt Glenn’s hand rubbing up and down my arm trying to comfort me. “New guy,” Glenn said as I lifted my head up to look at him, “got us out.” “New guy,” Shane asked as I managed to look over at Lori and Carl again. “Yeah crazy vato just got into town,” Morales said by his family, “hey helicopter boy come say hello! The guy’s a cop like you.” My attention shifted to Shane in front of me and Glenn when I noticed his reaction. In that second, I heard Carl shout out as my head turned around to face what had Shane so _stunned_.


	7. Alive

**KATHRYN’S POV**

My head snapped around and I moved out of Glenn’s arms as I watched Carl running to a man with a smile on his face. When my full attention went to the man standing there walking faster to my little brother, I nearly broke down. “ _Daddy_ ,” I cried out as his head snapped to me where I stood by the car before I ran to meet him just as Carl got to us. We both hit the ground as he wrapped his left arm around Carl while his right one was around me. I could hear Dad crying as he buried his head in my shoulder while still holding on tightly to me and Carl. “You’re both here,” he said holding us tighter, “you’re both alive and here.” “Daddy,” I cried again in barely a whispered as I pulled back to look at him in the eyes just hoping this wasn’t a dream and I wasn’t about to wake up in that RV and him not being here.

I pulled back completely and watched as he picked up Carl in his arms and made his way over to Lori to hug her. I couldn’t help the frown that came over my face, knowing she had been sleeping around with Shane this whole time and Dad was _never_ dead to begin with. I walked over to them as one thought occurred to me, _Shane_ , he told me my dad was dead. He told me in the hospital that Dad was _dead_. My head snapped around to where Shane was still standing by the Challenger, this _smile_ on his face like he was _happy_ for us when I could tell he wasn’t. “You _bastard_ ,” I shouted as I took a few steps towards him and stopped before pulling out my hidden gun as tears blurred my vision, “you _told_ me he was _dead_. You _told_ me my dad was dead you son of a _bitch_!”

**SHANE’S POV**

My eyes stayed locked on Kathryn with that gun. I heard everyone around me gasp because _none_ of us knew about the gun to begin with. But I could see Rick just on the edge of my eye sight, watching his daughter with the gun and he didn’t look _shocked_ to see the gun, just worried that she would do something. “You told me in the hospital that day,” Kathryn continued, “as you were dragging me out of that building, that my dad was _dead_. You _lied_ to me, to Carl.” “Kathryn,” I heard Rick’s voice say calmly but I still stared at Kathryn and the gun in her hand. “I _swear_ I thought he was,” I said as she shook her head like she didn’t believe me. “Kathryn,” I heard Rick say again and watched as he moved closer to his daughter, “baby put the gun down.”

**KATHRYN’S POV**

My gun wavered in the air for a moment, as I turned my attention to Dad who was walking up to me slowly. I felt more tears run down my face as I turned into his embrace as he wrapped his arms around me once again and just held me while I cried out. “I thought you were dead,” I cried into his shoulder, “I thought I had lost you forever.” “Shane did what he _had_ to,” he said rubbing his hands up and down my back, “he kept you, Lori, and Carl safe. That’s all that matters to me Kathryn, that y’all were safe when I wasn’t there to keep you safe myself.” “I missed you _so_ much Daddy,” I said as I buried my head into his chest and just taking in his familiar smell that I grew up knowing. I moved my head to the side to watch as everyone around us went back to doing their own things as I kept myself as close to Dad as possible.

**GLENN’S POV**

I smiled as I walked over to Rick and Kathryn, still holding on to each other like their lives depended on it. I watched as Kathryn’s head snapped my way when she heard someone approaching and this big smile come across her face as she pulled away from her father and ran to me. “You brought me my dad back safe and sound,” she said as she wrapped her arms around me, “thank you Glenn. Thank you _so_ very much.” I went to say something but was cut off when she stepped up a bit on her toes and kissed my cheek before completely pulling away and walking over to her father who was giving me a curious look. I just shook my head as if to say it was nothing while I felt my cheeks heating up. I watched as Rick gave me one more look before wrapping his arm around Kathryn’s shoulders and walking off.

**RICK’S POV**

I had my family, they weren’t dead. I had my wife, my son, and my daughter, all in my arms again as if this world hadn’t changed. We were huddled over by the group of tents, everyone giving us space to talk about what’s happened. Lori was standing in front of me while Kathryn and Carl were off to the side, Carl in front of Kathryn while her arms were around his shoulders. “Have you been here,” I asked turning my attention to Lori and then back to Kathryn, “this whole time?” “Shane got us out,” Lori said causing me to look back at her but I notice Kathryn make a face at the mention of his name. “Kathryn,” I heard Carl say causing me to look over at the two as he looked up at his sister. “Yeah buddy,” she asked looking down at him. “Can I sleep with you tonight,” he asked. I looked from Kathryn and over to Lori confused. “She stays with Dale in his RV,” Lori said, “she wouldn’t share a tent with us when we got here.”

**KATHRYN’S POV**

When Dad looked back at me after Lori said that, I just sighed and looked down. “It’s a long story Dad,” I said before looking down at Carl, “and if it’s okay with Lori and Dad then yeah you can bud.” “It’s not just up to us Kathryn,” Lori said looking at me as I lifted my head to look at her. “I know,” I said narrowing my eyes at her, “it’s also up to Dale but I can ask that later.” “Well it’s okay with me,” Dad said looking from me and Carl over to Lori. She simply sighed and walked off as she raised her hands up in defeat, knowing she wouldn’t get anywhere if we had Dad’s approval.  I smiled as she walked off before looking to Dad. “I really missed you,” I said before grabbing Carl’s hand and walking off with him.

Later that night, well after dark, as we all gathered around some fires to keep warm before turning in for the night, someone asked Dad what it felt like when he woke up from that coma in the hospital all alone and not knowing what had happened to the world. “Disoriented,” he said looking around as Carl was basically in his lap with Lori on his left and me on his right, “I guess that comes closest.” “I went to visit you every day,” I said lifting my head up and resting my chin on his shoulder as I looked at him, “as soon as I was out of school I’d head over to the hospital till either Lori, Shane, or a doctor made me go home for the day.” “She did,” Lori said shaking her head, “it was a battle to get her to go to school when she only wanted to be by your side.”

“We were told you died,” Carl whispered looking up at Dad as my grip on his hand tightened at the memory. He looked over at me before looking back down at Carl. “Shane told me,” I whispered as I sent a glare over at him. “He had every reason to believe it,” Dad said pulling my attention back to him, “I don’t blame him. Like I said before Kathryn, he got you, Lori and Carl out of there and kept y’all safe. That’s all I care about, your safety.” “I _barely_ got them out,” Shane said and seemed to want to avoid eye contact with Dad, although probably doesn’t help I was still glaring at him. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am to you Shane,” Dad said looking across the fire at him.

I finally looked away just before hearing a piece of wood fall into another fire. “Not again,” I groaned out as I looked over to see it was Ed who did it. I really hated that man, especially for what he did to his wife and daughter. I watched as Shane went over to have a word with Ed before glancing over at Glenn who was staring at the fire. When Shane came back to sit with us, Dale spoke up then. “Have you given any thought to _Daryl Dixon_ ,” he asked. My eyes instantly moved to Dale as he spoke Daryl’s name. We found out earlier that my dad had handcuffed Daryl’s brother to the roof before they got out of that building and made it back here safely. No real _loss_ but still Daryl would be _pissed_ when he got back from that hunt and found out about his brother.

“He won’t be happy,” Dale said stating the obvious, “hearing that his brother was left behind.” “I’ll tell him,” T-Dog said speaking up, “I dropped the key. It’s on me.” I groaned as I tuned out the argument about who would tell Daryl as I laid my head back on Dad’s shoulder. He had since released my hand but had wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer to him. “I think I’m going on to bed,” I said after a few minutes and went to stand up before catching Carl’s eyes, “oh um Dale?” “Yeah,” he asked looking up at me as I stood. “Carl wants to sleep with me tonight,” I said, “personally I don’t think it’s a bad idea but I wanted to ask you first.” “It’s fine by me,” he said nodding. “Okay,” I said smiling before looking down to Carl and holding out my hand, “c’mon bud.”

Carl stood up from where he sat and grabbed ahold of my hand before I turned my attention to the group. “Goodnight y’all,” I said smiling at them before turning and walking away with my brother right beside me. We walked into Dale’s RV and climbed into bed, me laying with my back against the wall and Carl laying right in front of me. I wrapped my arm around him and pulled him closer before he grabbed ahold of my hand with his. “I’m glad Dad’s back,” he whispered as he seemed to snuggle in closer to me. “Yeah me too little man,” I said as I held on tighter to him, “get some sleep. We’ll see Dad in the morning.” “’Night Kathryn,” he mumbled out, voice already sounding full of sleep. “’Night bud,” I whispered back as I slowly drifted off to sleep myself.


	8. Daryl Dixon

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I woke up the next morning alone, Carl had already gotten up and went outside with the others of the group. Getting up, I got dressed in a grey fitted crop top and a pair of blue jean shorts before putting on my Timberlands and walking out of the RV. As I walked out of the RV, and over to where I spotted Carl, I pulled my hair back into a ponytail to keep my neck cool in this early morning Georgia heat while looking around for Dad. “Morning Carl,” I said smiling down at him as I ruffled his brown hair causing him to glare up at me playfully while trying to fix it, “Dad up yet?” “No,” he said shaking his head. “Okay well go play,” I said as I walked around looking for something to do. “Morning,” I heard Glenn call out ahead of me as he waved at me and smiled. “Morning,” I said when I got to him, “I didn’t get to ask you yesterday or last night but did you get me a hat like you promised?”  
He laughed before shaking his head and motioning for me to follow him as he walked over to where his own tent was. Once by the tent, he disappeared inside for a moment before coming back out and pulling my own baseball cap out from behind his back. “Thank you,” I said smiling as I sat the hat on my head and pulled my ponytail through the hole in the back where you’d adjust the fitting of the hat to your head. I smiled up at him before glancing over at where Lori was standing by the laundry to see that Dad was finally awake and standing in front of her with his back to me while talking. “You glad you’re dad’s back,” Glenn asked drawing my attention away from them and back to him. “ _Very_ ,” I said nodding just as we heard a scream.

**GLENN’S POV**

I looked to Kathryn and she glanced back to me with panic clear in her eyes. “Stay here,” I said and went to run by her but she started moving too. “Kathryn,” I said grabbing ahold of her arm and stopping her, causing her to look at me as well. “That’s my little brother’s scream Glenn,” she said trying to glare but I think her worry had the best of her at that time. “Please,” I said, “stay here where it’s safe.” I watched as she managed to pull a glare at me while crossing her arms, but didn’t make a move to follow me. I managed a weak smile in her direction before turning and following after Rick, Lori, and the others towards the screams back in the woods near the camp.

**KATHRYN’S POV**

Lori, Carl, Carol, and Sophia came back up to where I stayed put upon Glenn’s request shortly after Dad, Dale, Jim, Glenn, Shane, and Morales went to find the problem. As soon as his eyes landed on me, Carl pulled out of his mother’s arms and came running straight for me. I opened my arms in time to catch him as he threw himself into my hold and held on tightly. I felt him burry his head just under my chest as my hands instinctively wrapped around the back of his head to hold him close. “Carl what was it,” I asked in a quiet whisper. My fingers absentmindedly running through his short brown hair trying to calm him down. “I-i-it was a walker,” he whispered against me as he held on tighter around my midsection. “It’s okay Carl,” I said trying to calm him down, “it ain’t gonna get you. You know that buddy. Go on over to the RV with your mom, I’ll be there in a moment.”

At that moment, after pushing my brother in the direction of his mother, when I turned back around to face the direction everyone had went in while I waited for Dad and Glenn to come back, one person came into my line of sight first, _Daryl Dixon_. I normally _tried_ to keep from getting caught staring at him, and really I wasn’t _exactly_ staring this time, but for once I managed to lock eyes with the man as he passed. My eyes moved with him, never breaking eye contact as my head turned to the side to watch him pass by. The contact only broke when he was too far out of my sight. When I looked back to where I had _originally_ been staring, Dad was walking up out of the woods, Glenn not too far behind him. “I’m alright,” Dad said as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders while I leaned into him as we walked after Daryl.

**GLENN’S POV**

“Hey Daryl hold up a minute,” Shane called out to Daryl as we entered near the center point of camp. Rick let go of his daughter and followed Shane over closer towards where Daryl stopped while I walked up and stood by Kathryn. “This won’t end well,” she said not looking at me, “I can feel it.” “It’ll be okay,” I said trying to comfort her the best I could. I knew she was _dreading_ this confrontation but it had to be done, Daryl _had_ to know about his brother being left behind on that roof. I turned back to Shane and Daryl talking just as he began explaining what happened back in Atlanta yesterday. “There was a uh,” Shane said, “there was a problem back in Atlanta.” “He dead,” Daryl asked, getting straight to the point.

I glanced over at Kathryn beside me as her eyes stayed on her father just as me moved forwards to speak when Shane failed to tell Daryl what happened. “There’s no _easy_ way to say this,” Rick said moving forwards speaking as I saw Kathryn take a step up at the same time, “so I’m just gonna come out and say it.” “Who are you,” Daryl asked and I watched as Kathryn visibly tensed. “Rick Grimes,” Rick said looking Daryl in the eyes and not backing down. “Rick Grimes,” Daryl said, “you got something you wanna tell me _Mr. Grimes_?” “Your brother was a danger to us all,” Rick said calmly, “so I handcuffed him to the roof, to a piece of metal. He’s still there.” “You’re saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof,” Daryl shouted out, “and you _left_ him there?!”

I watched as Daryl started down Rick, and when I looked over at Kathryn, she had her hands balled up into a fist. I grabbed her wrist, too keep her from lunging between the two and pulled her back to me just in time to see Daryl toss his string of squirrel at Rick as a distraction before attempting to lunge at him and only being shoved aside by Shane. I grabbed ahold of both of Kathryn’s arms as I felt her try to pull away from me as we watched the three men. “Let me _go_ Glenn,” she said through gritted teeth as I tightened my hold on her arms. “ _No_ Kathryn,” I whispered back in her ear, “let them take care of this. Your dad would be _furious_ with me if I let you go and you got hurt.” As we watched Daryl pull his hunting knife on Rick and Shane, I had to wrap my arms tightly around to just to keep her from getting in the way now that a knife was involved.

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I watched as Dad and Shane got rid of Daryl’s knife before anyone could get hurt but I was _still_ pissed at the bastard. I continued to struggle against Glenn’s grasp on me as they tried to explain to Daryl what the hell happened without him trying to fight them again. Just as Daryl was walking away from everyone, I _finally_ managed to break out of Glenn’s grasp. “Kathryn don’t,” I managed to hear Glenn call out before I grew closer to Daryl. “Hey _asshole_ ,” I shouted out causing him to stop and turn around to face me. Normally, I wouldn’t be this brave to stand up to him like this but he took a knife out against my dad, I wasn’t going to let that slide without him getting a piece of my mind.   
“What do ya want _girl_ ,” he said seeming to glare a whole right through me. “Do that _again_ ,” I said glaring up at him and holding my ground even though he had a good foot over me in height and _definitely_ weighed more than me, “draw a knife on my dad again like that, I’ll make damn sure I don’t hesitate to put a bullet through your skull.” I watched as he stared at me, his gaze not faltering _once_ as he scrunched his eyes at me as if gaging if I’d _actually_ do it. When it came down to my dad, I’d do _anything_ for him. I continued to stare him down just as he was me, before he finally scoffed and turned his back to me, walking away from me and over to where I didn’t even realize he had sat his crossbow at. “Are you _crazy_ ,” I heard Glenn say as he came up behind me after Daryl left. “I don’t like people treating my dad like that,” I said simply before walking over to the RV and walking inside to where Carl was seated.

**DARYL’S POV**

I didn’t know _who_ the hell that girl thought she was, getting all up in my face like she did and trying to threaten me. But from the look in her eyes, I wouldn’t put it pass the girl to follow through with her threat about shooting me. I’ll give her credit thought, that girl has bigger balls the half the men in this camp _combined_. Girl’s never said _one_ word to me, or even _tried_ to for that matter, since she’s been in this camp. She’s been too busy pissing that step-mother of hers off. I heard moving coming from over by the RV and looked up and back to see that red head coming walking out of the door. As if feeling me gaze on her, her head snapped in my direction. I felt myself squint my eyes at her, almost as if in detest when she lifted her left hand at me and flipped me the bird. I scoffed before turning back to my arrows in hand just as that _dick_ and his partner came walking up behind me.


	9. Attacked

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I was sitting by the RV, just a short amount of time after Glenn and Dad left with Daryl and T-Dog to go _back_ to Atlanta to the department store to _rescue_ Merle from that rooftop. I sat on the ground, my knees up to my chest as I just _stared_ down the path they had left that leads back to the road and on to Atlanta. Most of the women in camp had gone down into the quarry itself to do laundry but I opted out and Lori was still in the main camp as well with me. “Kathryn have you seen your brother,” she asked walking up to me with what looked like a basket in her arms. I simply shrugged my shoulders before I heard Dale speak up from on top of the RV behind me. “Went down into the quarry with Shane,” he called down, “something about catching _frogs_.” “Thanks Dale,” she said before turning and heading down into the quarry in search of her son.

“Hey Kathryn,” Dale called down to me after a few minutes, “why don’t you come up here and help me keep watch while everyone else seems to be down in the quarry?” “Sure Dale,” I called back before standing to my feet and brushing off the dirt on the back of my pants. I climbed up onto the RV and he offered me the chair that had been placed up on top for whoever was the sentry to sit in if they got tired of standing for too long. “You know what you did earlier was maybe a stupid thing,” Dale said after a few minutes. “What was,” I asked confused by what he meant. “Getting in Daryl’s face like that and then _threatening_ him too on top of it,” he said looking over at me, “I will say you’re about the _only_ person in this camp that would’ve done that and not suffered some kind of backlash from Daryl.”

“Why is that,” I inquired as I continued to sit there while Dale watched around the camp. “Cause you’re about the only one who has _ever_ been brave enough to speak to Daryl the way you did,” he said smiling down at me, “plus I’ve never seen Daryl lay a hand on a woman. I will definitely say you peak his curiosity more about you since doing that.” “Great that’s all I need,” I muttered, “someone _else_ watching my every move.” “What do you mean Kathryn,” Dale asked turning his full attention on me. “I get the feeling of being watched,” I said shrugging, “it’s nothing new and I think I have a pretty good idea as to who it is. I just haven’t said anything to them yet. Don’t worry Dale I can take care of myself.” “I would say you can,” he said nodding, probably recalling yesterday when I pulled my gun on Shane.

Time had passed since Dale had asked me to climb up on the RV with him. Lori and Carl had since come back up to camp after she went to get him. I was beginning to worry as it was growing dark and our group that went out to get _Merle_ had yet to return and we all knew it wasn’t safe to be so close to the city after dark. “They’ll be fine,” Amy said smiling at me as she stood by me where I was still watching the road leading up to camp, looking for any signs that they’d show up at any second. “I’d like to believe that,” I said smiling over at her before looking back out down the path, “but it still doesn’t stop me from worrying. _Especially_ when they’re risking their lives for Merle.” “C’mon,” she said smiling at me, “fish is done anyway.” I smiled and looked to her before nodding and following behind her to the large campfire everyone was sitting around.

**LORI’S POV**

I watched as Kathryn and Amy came and join our little fish fry, Kathryn taking a seat between Carl and Sophia. “Feels like _ages_ since I last had fish,” she commented as Dale handed her a plate with a piece of fish laying on it, “thanks Dale.” We ate our fish, enjoying the first bit of _real_ food in a while since this all started. Kathryn was smiling and talking with Carl about God knows what with her. It still bothered me that she had a gun, what’s worse is Rick seemed to know about it as he wasn’t as shocked as the rest of us when she pulled it out on Shane. “I can’t get over how _good_ this is,” Kathryn said as she sat back in the chair and took another big bite from her piece of fish. All of us around her began laughing as she had this huge smile on her face. I watched as she teased Carl, trying to steal a bite of his fish before laughing and grabbing the side of his head to pull it closer to her as she kissed his temple.

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I loved teasing my little brother with stuff like this, it reminded me to try and be normal in a world that was no longer normal. “Excuse me,” Amy said as she stood up from the group and headed towards the RV. “When do you think Dad will be back,” Carl asked looking up at me as everyone else around us went quiet. “Soon,” I said pulling him against me while he continued to eat on his fish, “soon.” Everyone around me looked at us and nodded in agreement. We _all_ hoped the other members of our group returned to us soon, with or _without_ Merle Dixon in tow. “We’re out of toilet paper,” I heard Amy shout back to us in question as she stepped out of the RV. I couldn’t help but laugh at that statement until I heard her blood curdling scream and turned around to see a walker taking a bite of flesh out of her arm that was holding onto the RV’s door.

I screamed just as everyone else did when we saw our camp was overrun with walkers. “Mom,” Carl screamed from beside me as I leapt over to him while Shane stood to his feet. “Lori,” Shane shouted, “get them down!” For once I didn’t argue against Lori for being so close to me like this as she covered our head while Shane shot above us. “To the RV,” Shane said as he grabbed ahold of Lori’s arm and pulled her up while she tugged Carl up. I stood still for a moment, just watching as there was complete _chaos_ around me as members of my group were eaten alive. “ _Kathryn_ ,” I heard Lori shout and when I looked over at her they were already at the RV. “Kathryn behind you,” Carl shouted as he pointed back over my shoulder. I looked back just in time to see a walker coming up right behind me.

I only had time enough to scream as the walker pushed me down onto the ground, trying to get a good bite on me. Using any and all the strength I had, I held it at bay the best I could but my arms were tiring and _fast_. Just as I felt my arms beginning to drop, an arrow pierced through the walker’s skull just before I couldn’t hold it any longer. It’s dead weight dropped onto my body as I felt tears start to fall down my face, coming so close to getting bit. It had grown silent around me, and once I pushed the walker off top of me I slowly sat up and looked around. “Kathryn,” I heard my dad’s voice before I looked over to see him running to me. “Daddy,” I cried, not moving from where I sat as he ran to me and wrapped his arms around me while I burst into tears. “It’s okay baby,” he whispered as he dropped the gun that had been in his hand and wrapped both arms around me.

“I couldn’t hold it back any longer,” I sobbed into his shoulder as he rocked back and forth, Carl coming to join us and wrapping his arms around me as well. “It’s okay Kathryn,” Dad said trying to calm me down, “you’re safe now. Nothing’s going to happen to you now. It’s okay.” Dad pulled away and I looked up to see Glenn making his way over to me. He knelt down in front of me after Dad walked off to Lori and wrapped his arms around my midsection while I wrapped mine around his neck and buried my face in his shoulder. After a few minutes, while still being held by Glenn, I lifted my eyes up to look back at Daryl who stood a ways off. The second I lifted my eyes, they locked with his and knowing he was the one who shot the walker attacking me all I could do was mouth back _thank you_.


	10. The CDC

**KATHRYN’S POV**

Seems like millions of things happened so fast in so little time after the attack. No one spoke to me other than Glenn but he only kept asking me if I was alright. I think to everyone I seemed to be in some kind of shock after almost getting bit but that wasn’t it. I just lost one of my two best friends since the apocalypse started _and_ Daryl Dixon, the man I _threatened_ hours before, saved my life. He could’ve let the thing bite me and that be the end of it but he didn’t and it confused the hell out of me. When everyone else went to bury our dead, I stayed up by the RV, not moving even when Dad tried to get me to. I just wanted to be left alone to deal with the crazy thoughts inside my head. But I couldn’t be left alone for too long, and I couldn’t stay locked in my head for long either, not in this world.

In the span of just a _day_ after the attack, we lost Amy, found out Jim was bit and so Dad made it his priority to keep him from getting a bullet to the brain until we could get him to the CDC to see if there was some _magical cure_ that’d make everything better for him. When we finally left for the CDC the morning after that, Dad wasn’t too happy about me riding in the RV with Glenn, Dale, Jacqui, and Jim. But I told him that he had a car full already with him, Lori, Carol, Carl, and Sophia and I wasn’t about to ride with Shane. Dad didn’t have to worry for _too_ long about me riding in the same vehicle as an infected man. When the RV broke down because of the hose, Dad ended up talking with Jim while we stayed put and waited for Shane and T-Dog to get back from looking for something to fix the hose with.

Turns out, Jim wanted to be left there on the side of the road instead of try and make it to the CDC. He felt he wouldn’t make it there in time even if there was some cure for this shit. After they carried him out, before they made it up the hill to the tree line, I said my goodbyes to him because I was just going to wait in the RV until we started moving again. I was sitting in the little booth, facing the front as I waited for them to come back, my head resting on my arms that were crossed on the table top. When I felt a hand gently rubbing my back, I looked up to see Glenn’s face looking down at me. “You okay,” he asked while I just shrugged. “We lost Amy and a bunch of others the other night,” I whispered as I laid my head sideways so that I could look at him, “now we’re losing Jim too. How many more are we going to have to lose to this world Glenn?” “I don’t know Kathryn,” he whispered as he shook his head, “I don’t know.”

**GLENN’S POV**

I didn’t like seeing Kathryn upset like this. I couldn’t do a thing to cheer her up and that hurt me. She was close to Amy, and now Amy’s gone like so many others from our group. Every time I’d ask if she was okay, she would say she was or would shrug but I knew for a fact she wasn’t. Rick still wanted her to ride with him, Lori, Carl, Carol, and Sophia but she wanted to stay in the RV. “I’m going to lay down,” she whispered as she motioned for me to move out of the booth where I sat down beside her so she could get up and got to the back. Once she made it to the back where the beds were, Jacqui and Dale walked into the RV. “We’re heading on,” Dale said and I nodded, taking my seat beside him as I grabbed the map so we could head on to the CDC. “How she doing,” Dale asked after a few minutes. “About the same as the rest of us I guess,” I said as I looked down at the map.

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I stayed in the back, laying on one of the beds while we continued on our way to wherever they had decided to go now that we weren’t trying to get Jim to help. I just laid there, book in hand trying to read even though I couldn’t seem to focus on it, when suddenly the movement of the RV stopped and the engine cut off. I sat up just as Glenn was walking back to me. “We’re here,” he said nodding for me to follow him. Getting to my feet, I followed him cautiously out of the RV and looked around, instantly overwhelmed by the smell of rotting corpses. Placing my hand over my mouth and nose to try and keep from breathing as much of the smell as possible, I felt Glenn grab one of my hands and gently begin pulling me along behind him as our group made our way up to the building.

“Stay close,” Glenn whispered to me as he gave my hand a squeeze before letting it go so I could pull out my own gun and follow behind, keeping my other hand over my nose and mouth. I glanced around at my surroundings as I followed my dad and the others, taking in the sights of what had happened here. To me it looked like this was a dead end, like the place had been overrun by these _things_. As I continued to look around, my blue eyes locked with another pair belonging to Daryl. Staring at him for just a second, I tore my eyes away when I heard someone behind me cough, reminding me where I was and that I could just stop and _stare_ at the man. I ignored everything being said around me as my dad and Shane began beating on the doors, trying to get them to open when Daryl’s voice shouted out. “Walkers,” he said causing most of the now smaller group to panic while he took care of one with his crossbow and Dad began shouting.

Everyone was panicking, placing the blame on Dad for leading us into a _death trap_ , and just trying to get away from the threat of the approaching walkers. I felt someone grab my hand again, pulling me away from the building as everyone decided to leave, deeming the place unsafe to be around as the sun was setting and it was getting dark. My attention stayed on Dad, as he continued to beat on the metal doors that were blocking our entrance into safety while I was being tugged away. “Kathryn c’mon,” I heard Glenn’s voice from beside my head as I felt his arm wrap around my stomach as he began pulling me away from there where I was watching my dad after stopping. I tore my eyes away from my dad to look back at Glenn after watching Shane grab him and began pulling him away as he kept repeating one phrase over and over again to some camera that _moved_. I looked up at Glenn as I felt tears prickling my eyes before Glenn wrapped his arm tighter around me. “C’mon,” he whispered as he tried to lead me away again.

I allowed him to lead me away, trying to block out my dad’s pleads to the camera when suddenly there was a loud noise causing us _all_ to stop in our tracks. Looking over my shoulder just as Glenn did, a blinding light filled out of the building just as one of the shutters opened up and the sound of creaking metal filled the air. “What the hell,” I heard Glenn mutter from behind me as everyone in the group was stunned into silence and Dad’s pleas had stopped. “Kathryn,” Dad whispered as he glanced back over at me. I pulled out of Glenn’s arms and ran over to his outstretched hand and basically curled into his side as his arm wrapped around my shoulders. “Dad,” I whispered out as I looked up at him while everyone seemed to be focused ahead of us. “It’s alright,” he whispered as he tighten his grip around my shoulders before we slowly started to make our way into the building, guns out just in case.

I had my gun in hand as I looked around the room once we entered into the building. Glenn placed him by my side but out of habit from these past few weeks, I looked around until I spotted Daryl standing in the back, glancing around every few seconds before hit attention went back to the door we came through. Clearing my head by shaking it, I turned back in front of me as I felt Glenn place a hand on my upper back as he continued to look around just like the rest of us. “Hello,” I heard my dad call out again just as we heard a gun cock from in front of us. Those who had guns instantly jumped and faced the same direction with our guns pointed at the new possible threat. “There anybody who’s infected,” a guy holding a gun said in front of us as I spared a glance to Glenn to see he was nervous. “One of our group was but he didn’t make it,” Dad said as I moved to stand on his other side.

“Why are you here,” the man asked looking around at all of us before his eyes landed on me and giving me the creeps, “what do you want?” “A chance,” Dad said as my gun lowered slightly but was still aimed at this guy. “Asking for an awful lot these days,” he said as he once again looked around at us all. “I know,” Dad said as his gun lowered and he wrapped one arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him and causing this guy to look at me once again. We waited while he decided our fate before he finally spoke up. “You all will submit to a blood test,” he said glancing around, “that’s the price of admission.” “ _Great_ ,” I mumbled, “I _hate_ needles.” “We can do that,” Dad said ignoring the comment I made about the needles. “You got stuff to bring in you do it _now_ ,” this man said, “once those doors close they won’t open again.” Dad nodded before he looked to me. “Kathryn you stay in here okay,” he whispered as I nodded before he turned and ran out with Daryl, Shane, and Glenn. I walked over to Carl and wrapped my arms around his as I turned to see that man once again staring and giving me the creeps.


	11. Shit-Faced Drunk

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I was following behind everyone else in the group, but there were still a few people behind me, when Glenn walked over to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "You alright," he asked looking at me as I rubbed my arm. "Peachy," I mumbled, "besides the fact that I _hate_ needles I'm doing just fine." I looked up and over at him before smiling weakly as I rubbed absentmindedly at my arm where that Jenner guy stuck the needle moments before. "Maybe getting food in your stomach will help you feel better," Glenn said grinning at me as I smiled back and continued to follow our group and Jenner to where the cafeteria like area was in this building. Sitting around a table as we pilled on all kinds of food to eat and Jenner brought out some wine, I took a seat next to Dad while Carl and Lori sat on his other side with Carl in the middle of them. "Hey Dad," I said as Dale was pouring drinks for everyone else but me, "can I have some?"

I watched as everyone around me went silent, knowing I was only 18 and just asked my dad if I could drink some wine with everyone else, they were waiting to see what his reaction would be. He couldn't look to Lori for her opinion because she wasn't my mother so it was all up to him. Glancing around the room before looking back to me, he smiled and nodded his head as he motioned for Dale to fix me a glass. Grinning widely, I turned my attention to Dale as he handed me a half full glass of wine. Telling him my thanks, I turned around and took a sip of it to taste first. With a smile on my face, I brought the glass to my lips to taste it while peering over the top to see everyone was watching and waiting to see what I thought of it. Even _Daryl_ was watching me and waiting. Closing my eyes for the briefest of seconds, I tipped the glass back and allowed some of the liquid to pour into my mouth and over my tongue.

"Well," I heard Glenn ask as I pulled the glass from my mouth. "Can I have a bit more," I said with a grin as I held my glass out to Dale so he could add to what was still in it. All the adults around me laughed while Glenn smiled as he nursed on his own glass of wine. As we continued eating, Dale took it upon himself to refill everyone's wine cups whenever we were getting low, which meant I wasn't running out anytime soon. I could already feel the effects of the wine after about my third glass or so, and as I was lifting it up to my mouth to take another sip my eyes landed on Daryl who was grabbing something to eat off the table. His eyes locked with mine as I rested the glass to my lips before I broke eye contact and looked away as I lifted the glass back and took a healthy swig from it. The conversation going on around me was lost to me as I focused on my food and wine before me, trying to _ignore_ the stares I was getting from Daryl as I continued to drink.

"You know," I heard Dale's voice first as the conversation finally reached my brain, "in Italy children often have a little bit of wine with dinner." "And in France," I piped in smiling as I took another sip and looked to my family beside me, knowing Dale was talking about trying to allow Carl to taste it. I watched as Lori took her glass from Dale before placing her hand over Carl's as she spoke. "Well," she said looking to Carl, "when he is in Italy or France, _then_ he can have some." "C'mon what's it going to hurt," Dad said as he ate on his food before looking up to Lori. I smiled as I knew _why_ he was doing this. It was because he had allowed _me_ to drink with everyone else when if the world was it's normal self I wouldn't be drinking right now. "Let him try it," I said smiling as she turned to look at me. As we all started laughing, she shrugged and pulled her hand away from the top of Carl's glass.

After Dale poured a tiny bit for Carl, we all did what they had done with me, sat and waited to see his reaction. I lifted my own glass up to my lips but didn't tip it back as I sat there with a smile on my face waiting for Carl to taste his own small helping of wine. Glancing around as Carl took his first sip, my eyes landed on Daryl as he sat leaning against a table with a whole bottle of wine in his hand and his eyes staring straight at me. Maybe it was because of all the wine in my system already but I felt a blush creeping up my neck and onto my face faster than normal as I turn my gaze back to my little brother just as he pulled the glass away from his mouth. "Ew," he complained making a face as we all started laughing. "That's my boy," Lori said ruffling his hair as I quickly held my hand out for his glass. "I'll take it," I said with a smile as she handed it over to me.

I poured his remaining wine into my glass before I sat it down and took another sip of mine as the adults all started talking again. "That taste nasty," I heard Carl say as everyone was still laughing. "Yeah well just stick to the soda pop there bud," Shane said as I caught sight of Daryl moving and coming to stand in direct line of my eye sight as he began grabbing more food, bottle still in hand. "Not you Glenn," Daryl said before his eyes landed on me, "or you Kathryn." I nearly choked on the wine I had in my mouth when he mentioned my name. "What," I heard Glenn say as I looked to him to see he looked stunned to be called out. "Keep drinking you two," Daryl said grinning at us, "I wanna see how red y'alls face can get." I didn't need the alcohol for my face to go red. It was already going there with just the look he sent to Glenn and myself after that. I quickly lowered my eyes before just taking my glass and completely tipping it back to down the rest of the wine I had.

After dinner, while everyone else was getting ready for bed and taking showers, Glenn and I decided we'd share a room. His reasoning being that my dad probably wouldn't approve of me sharing with someone like Daryl and there was no way in _Hell_ I would share with Shane. So Glenn said I'd get the couch in the room and he'd take the floor. After my hot shower, I decided to go exploring, but not before grabbing a half empty bottle of wine. Dad wasn't going to stop me, we were safer here than anywhere else and I needed to unwind a bit and right now this was the best way. The last time I remember getting like this, was last summer when I just got out of school. As I was continuing to think about that summer, I tipped back my wine bottle only to find it was empty, _damn_. Finding the nearest trashcan, I tossed the empty bottle in before I began staggering my way down the hall as I tried to find mine and Glenn's room that we were sharing.

I didn't realize how much time had passed since I went _exploring_. Staggering down the hallway, the full effect of _all_ that alcohol that I drank earlier was hitting me. These halls seemed to be never ending as I finally found the rooms where everyone was turning in for the night but they all looked the same and I couldn't remember which room it was that Glenn and I were sharing. I stumbled aimlessly as I looked for any signs that'd point me in the right direction towards the room I needed to go to so I could sleep. Finally having enough of wandering around, I just picked the first closed door I came to and opened it, only to fall flat on my face on the floor a few steps inside. Honestly too drunk to attempt to get up, and too tired as well, I just made myself comfortable on the floor before instantly allowing the darkness to consume me. I didn't even care if this was the wrong room to be in to begin with, I just wanted to sleep the alcohol away.

**DARYL'S POV**

After everyone showered and went to their own rooms, I was sitting in mine on the couch with a bottle of wine in hand as I waited to finally pass out when the sound of my door being shoved open and someone walking in startled me. Looking over I noticed it was that girl, Kathryn, as she fell to the floor but made no attempt to get to her feet. She seemed quite content with sleeping on the floor in a room she wasn't even supposed to be in. Within a few minutes, the sound of light snoring was coming from where she lay still on the floor. Rolling my eyes, I turned my attention back to the bottle in hand, taking a hefty swig from it before setting it almost empty bottle down on the table near the couch I was stretched out on. Glancing over at her once more, I quickly turned to lay on my side with my back to her. If she wanted to sleep on the floor let her.

I had every intention of falling asleep, even with her on the floor in my room but I _couldn't_. I kept getting the annoying nagging feeling that it was _my_ fault that she kept drinking until she was drunk like this. But still she could've stopped, even after the teasing I did to her and Glenn. Hell her own father said she could drink with the rest of us so why not egg it on and see what would happen. Sighing, I finally rolled over and placed my hands behind my head as I looked over at her still sleeping form on the floor. I groaned out as I finally decided to just get up and place her on the couch, I'd take the floor instead. Walking over to her, I carefully picked her up in my arms and as I walked over to the couch, she curled up closer to me. Placing her on the couch, I watched as she got comfortable before I turned and walked over to my door, closing it before making myself a spot to sleep on the floor with this strange girl filling my thoughts as sleep finally took over.


	12. Wanting A Chance

**KATHRYN'S POV**

When I woke up, I had a slight headache but it wasn't as bad as I'm sure the one Glenn had. Sitting up on the couch, I looked around the room for my Asian friend only to find a snoring redneck. Freaked out, I quickly jumped off the couch and dashed out of the room. When the door was closed behind me and I made it halfway down the long hallway, I slid to the floor trying to catch my breath and steady my pounding heart beat which wasn't helping the small headache I had. Looking around the corridor, I gathered where I was and then stood to my feet. Making my way to the room I _should've_ slept in last night, I opened the door to see Glenn was already up. Dashing in, I quickly got dressed before I slowly made my way to the cafeteria area where we ate supper last night.

When I walked through the doorway that lead from the hallway into the cafeteria, eyes instantly turned to me. Glenn was at a table with his head in his hands as he groaned. I quickly looked away from those who were staring at me, my head looking towards the floor as I felt my cheeks warming with a very unwanted blush. "Morning Kathryn," I heard my dad's voice say from behind me as he walked into the room. "Morning Daddy," I said smiling weakly at him as I looked up and over at the same time he stopped and gave me a hug. "How'd you sleep," he asked and before I got a chance to answer, Lori walked over to where we were standing and crossed her arms as she glared at me. "And _where_ did you sleep," she asked with arms still crossed, "you weren't in the room you were supposed to be in."

"I was drunk last night," I said glaring at her, "I couldn't exactly find the room I was _supposed_ to be in as they all looked the same." "So where were you then," she pressed. I groaned and looked over to Dad who was just standing and watching. He knew _best_ how I was if I woke up with a slight hangover. Rolling my eyes and crossing my arms over my chest and looking over to the far wall I knew Lori wouldn't drop it till I gave her an answer. "I was in Daryl's room," I muttered as I saw a fuming Lori out of the corner of my eye. "You were in _his_ room," she seethed, "what were you _doing_ in his room?" My head shot over at her as I heard the way she worded that question. "What the hell do you _think_ I was doing in his room Lori," I snapped. I knew _exactly_ what she thought I was doing in his room.

**RICK'S POV**

"Well I can guarantee it wasn't _sleeping_ ," Lori said glaring at Kathryn as they both seemed to have a staring contest. Before me or Lori had a chance to realize what was happening, Kathryn glared hard at her before pulling her fist back and connecting it into the side of Lori's face, her head snapping in the other direction from the blow of the impact. Lori looked back to Kathryn, her hand coming up to the side of her face where Kathryn's fist connected with it as she rubbed the sensitive skin there. I watched as Kathryn shook out her right fist, the one she used to punch Lori, before walking away from the two of us and sat down next to Glenn at the table. Lori looked to me, waiting for me to do something. I held my hands up in surrender like it wasn't my fight and walked over to the table where Carl was.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

After breakfast, Jenner started telling us about this _virus_ that was the cause of people turning into these walkers. I kind of zoned out as he explained everything, I didn't care to know about these things. I was still a bit preoccupied with the memory of waking up in _Daryl's_ room instead of the one I was supposed to be in with Glenn. I stood next to Glenn, his arm draped across my shoulder as everyone listened to what Jenner had to say. But my eyes kept drifting over to where Daryl stood, away from the group slightly but still where he could see what was being talked about. And it seemed, every time I'd look over to him, his own blue eyes would skim over to where I stood. It was almost like he knew I was looking at him. Our eyes would lock every time, just for a moment before I'd end up looking away and back up to the screen that everyone else stared at.

After hearing about this _facility wide decontamination_ when the generators run out, Dad, Shane, Glenn, and T-Dog all ran down to the basement or whatever to find the generators and possibly look for more fuel. I was in the lounge room, looking through the book collection that was in there when the air conditioning seemed to stop running. Looking around confused, I took the couple of books I had in my hands with me back to where the rest of the group was in their rooms. As I walked down the halls, I noticed people sticking their heads out of their rooms, all with confused looks on their faces. I spotted Jenner walking through the hallways just as I rounded the corner, snatching the bottle of alcohol that Daryl had in his hands. Guess he really _was_ gonna get shit faced drunk again like he said.

Shaking that thought from my head, I wrapped my arms around Carl when he ran over to me as we both followed Jenner and the rest of the group to see what the hell was going on. Jenner was quiet and eerily calm. I zoned out after Jenner started answering Dale's questions, saying that the building was shutting itself down. I knew this wasn't a good thing, I had that feeling ever since Vi said that about the facility wide decontamination. Glancing at Carl, I noticed Glenn was making his way over to where I stood with my little brother. As he wrapped his arm around my shoulder, I leaned against him, still not hearing a word Jenner was saying. All I did hear, was him saying we'd have a quick and _painless_ death. I was shutting down after that. I knew this world had gone to hell but I wasn't ready to die and take the easy way out of this. I wanted to _live_ no matter how long it would be for.

Alarms went off and I watched as everyone, my family and group members, began to panic over what was happening. I could hear my little brother's voice over most of them, screaming for Lori in fright. But there was another voice I could hear, Daryl's, as he shouted at Jenner for locking us in here. Feeling tears slip down my cheeks, I crouched down, balancing myself on the balls of my feet as I wrapped my arms tightly around me while still holding the books I had carried from the lounge moments before. My hair fell around me as I silently sob, fearing the death that was coming from being stuck in this building that was going to explode. I looked up, seeing everyone fighting with Jenner to let us out but I couldn't hear a word being said. I could feel eyes on me and when I looked, I spotted Daryl as he looked straight at me. A look of almost pain on his face, like it hurt him to see me like this, to see me crying.

I was pulled into a sitting position at one point, Carl sitting beside me and holding on tightly to me as Lori was sitting on his other side. I was so out of it, I didn't hear the shouting, I didn't hear the banging from people trying to break the metal doors. Hell I didn't even hear the sound of a gun going off, I just saw Shane point it to Jenner before shooting at the computers. "Please," I whispered as I lifted my tear stained face and bloodshot eyes to look at him, "I don't wanna die _here_. I want to live while I can. Don't make me die here. Like _this_." It went quiet around me, that being the first time I spoke since going into that room while everyone waited to see what Jenner would do. "I can't open up topside," Jenner said as he pressed some buttons before turning to look back at all of us, "but there's your chance. Take it."

I heard people running as I felt someone grab my arms and lift me to my feet. Looking, I realized it was Glenn. "Come on," he said quickly as he kept his hand around my arm and pulled me from where I sat and back to the halls so we could get our things like everyone else. Running into the room with Glenn, we quickly packed all of our things before I grabbed my backpack and placed it over my shoulders the same time Glenn looked at me as if asking if I was ready. Nodding, I grabbed his hand as he pulled me out of the room and followed our group as we made our way up to the top side where they began trying to break the glass that was keeping us in since the doors wouldn't open for us. I watched Carol hand something over to my dad, a grenade by the looks of it. Everyone headed for cover as we waited for the explosion that would hopefully let us out.

I screamed out at the loud sound, before slowly getting to my feet and stumbling as I tried to keep up with everyone. Glenn no longer having a hold of my hand I was lagging behind as everyone climbed out of the windows, leaving me the last one to exit out of it as the rest fought off the walkers that showed up due to the sound of the explosion. As I climbed out, I didn't notice the sharp shard of glass sticking up from where I was coming out at until it was too late. Wearing shorts like I was, my legs were completely exposed as I dragged my right leg across the seal of the window and getting snagged on the glass. I felt to the ground outside the window in pain, and looked down to see the shard in my leg. Pulling it out painfully, I looked around to see the group halfway towards our vehicles. " _Help_ ," I screamed as I tried to stand but fell back in pain. I don't think they even heard me.


	13. Leaving Atlanta

**DARYL'S POV**

I heard a shout come from back behind me. Ahead was the rest of the group but I didn't see one person in particular with Glenn, Kathryn. Looking around quickly, I caught sight of her back by the shattered window we all came out of. She was on the ground, and while I watched as she tried to get up I could tell she wasn't able to. Groaning, I pulled my crossbow behind my back and ran for where she stayed at in front of the building. "D-D-Daryl," she stuttered out, obviously shocked as I quickly picked her up in my arms and carried her away from the building but over to my truck bridal style. I felt her arms wrap around my neck and her hands grab fists full of my shirt as she held on tightly to me. Managing to open the driver side door of the truck, I sat her on the seat and watched as she slid all the way over to the other side of the single seat before I climbed in after her and closed the door.

I could hear the horn from up at the RV blaring as I looked up to see Dale and Andrea running out. " _Fuck_ get down," I said quickly to Kathryn beside me before I placed my arms over her head as she ducked down just before the sound of a loud explosion reached our ears and the feeling of the shockwaves from it shook the truck. After a couple seconds, when it seemed it was safe enough, I sat up and a second later Kathryn slowly poked her head up to look around. Looking at the remains of the CDC burning before us, I glanced down to Kathryn beside me before I caught sight of her leg. "Give me your leg," I said causing her to snap her attention to me. "W-what," she asked looking at me confused as I dug the rag I had in my back pocket out. "I said give me your damn leg," I said causing her to jump.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"O-o-okay," I stuttered out as I lifted my right leg up and he gently grabbed it, wrapping his red rag around it tightly so that the bleeding would stop but also as gently as he could to keep from hurting me more. I watched as he focused on my leg, letting it go once he was finished with placing the rag around it. I sat with my back to the door for a few minutes as I looked ahead of us towards the rest of the group's vehicles as they began to pull off. I guess I was riding with him for a little bit, until our group stopped to do something. I turned around to sit the right way in the truck cab, closer to the center to keep my right leg from bumping into the side of the door every time we hit a bump. The adrenaline that had been pumping through my body since we were down underground with Jenner when he was going to have us all die with him had started to leave my body, leaving me exhausted as I felt myself slip into unconsciousness next to Daryl.

**DARYL'S POV**

We had been driving _barely_ 10 minutes when I felt Kathryn's head land on my right shoulder. Glancing over at her as I continued to follow the rest of our group, I noticed she was out cold with her feet up on the seat on her other side as her head rested on my right shoulder. I had half the mind to push her off of me but something in me told me not to disturb her unless it was necessary, and we'd also be stopping soon enough to group up and figure out where the hell to go while syphoning some fuel for our vehicles. I'd just let her sleep until we stopped, then she'd get in the vehicle with either her family or the Chinaman that she's always hanging around.

After another 10 minutes, I watched as the RV that was leading the caravan of cars pulled into what looked like some sort of parking lot, complete with abandoned cars. Pulling to a stop behind the others, I nudged Kathryn once I had turned the truck off. I bit back a chuckle as I watched her shoot up once realizing that she had been leaning against me, the color of a blush evident on her cheeks as she quickly climbed out of the truck and limped over to where the others were. As the Chinaman greeted her, I watched as his face filled with concern as he noticed her limp and looked down to her leg that she was favoring and keeping her weight off as much as she could. He wasn't the only one to take notice of her injury, the others in the group did too.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"I promise I'm _okay_ ," I said for what felt like the millionth time as Glenn looked down at my leg with concern, "it's just a scratch. It'll be fine in a few days." "How'd it happen," I heard my dad say before I turned my head to see him walking up as he eyed my wrapped leg too. "I nicked it on some glass when I climbed out of the window back at the CDC," I said shrugging, "I swear I'm fine. It barely hurts when I put any pressure on it at all." "Still you need to be careful with that leg so you don't hurt it any more than it already is," Dale said walking over to me. "When we leave here we should take no more vehicles than necessary to get up moving," Dad said looking around the group as Daryl finally came to stand with us and get in on the group discussion, "Daryl it might save you on fuel to drive the bike instead of that truck."

I looked anywhere but at Daryl as they discussed riding arrangements. I was still _way_ too embarrassed that I had fallen asleep on Daryl's shoulder like that back in his truck. "Kathryn will you ride with us," Carl's voice said snapping me out of my thoughts, " _please_." "Y'all already have a full car," I said looking to Dad for some help but he stayed silent. "Please Kathryn," Carl said again as he looked up at me with his blue eyes, pleading for me to agree. "Alright _fine_ ," I said smiling as I rolled my eyes while he jumped and hugged me tightly, "but don't go complaining when it's too crowded in the back seat." I felt him hug me tighter as I wrapped my arms around my little brother. I loved him to death and would do _anything_ for him if it meant seeing a smile on his face.

I stayed where I was with Carol, Sophia, Carl, and Lori while the others went around and scavenged some supplies and fuel for the vehicles we were taking. I think everyone decided we'd only take the vehicles we needed, syphon fuel from the ones we were leaving behind. I watched as Daryl pulled the bike down from the back of his truck as everyone else began trying to gather some gas for the cars. After a few moments, everyone began piling into the cars. Shane, Dale, Andrea, Glenn, and T-Dog in the RV while Dad, Lori, Carol, Sophia, Carl, and myself climbed into Carol's Cherokee and Daryl drove the motorcycle. I sat in the back of the Cherokee with Carl, Sophia and Carol. Dad and Lori were in the front seats. I hugged my brother close to me as Dad pulled off, following behind the RV as we began leaving the city of Atlanta and heading to Fort Benning.

**RICK'S POV**

"Hey Dad," Kathryn called from the back seat where she sat between Carl and Sophia, her arm wrapped tightly around Carl. "Yeah," I said smiling as I looked back at her through the mirror as we drove. "Remember that time you took me to the Grand Canyon when I was little," she asked smiling, "it was just before you met Lori." "Yeah I remember," I said smiling, "you were 5. You remember that?" "Yeah," she said grinning widely. "I remember when we tried to go _back_ ," I said smiling as I looked over to Lori beside me, "when we took Carl with us." "I don't remember that," he said sitting forward as Kathryn laughed. "Yeah you wouldn't," she said smiling, "you were just a baby." "Beside," Lori said, "we never made it past Fort Worth."

"You got sick," I said as I watched Kathryn make a face. "I never _knew_ a baby could throw up so much," she said as we all laughed. "Ick," Carl said as we laughed more. "Yeah ick," Lori said, "but the doctor said you'd live. And we turned around and drove back home." "It was a _good_ trip," I said as I watched a smile form on Kathryn's face. "Can we go see it," Carl asked looking between me and his mother, "the Grand Canyon?" "Can we go," Sophia asked from beside Kathryn as she looked at all of us. "We'd never go without you and your mom," I said looking back at her before facing the road. "You'd really like it there," Kathryn said as she grabbed Sophia's hand, "it's so pretty there." I smiled as I turned my attention back to the road, only to see Dale slowing to a stop in front of a road block filled with cars everywhere.


	14. Sophia

**KATHRYN'S POV**

Well this was just _perfect_. Dale's hose for the RV busted and so now while they were scavenging for a new one in _all_ these cars that were blocking our path, those who weren't looking for the hose were looking for any supplies we could scrounge up. I had Carl and Sophia with me as we walked through all the cars, looking for anything that we could possibly need, for instance food and water. Daryl, Dad, and T-Dog were out looking for any gas they could get out of these cars while Glenn and Shane were looking for a replacement hose as Dale kept watch for us all on top of his RV. I was basically playing babysitter with Carl and Sophia for Lori and Carol but it wasn't like I really mind doing so, I loved these kids. I watched as they walked around looking in some of the cars while I glanced back to where Lori and Carol were digging through suitcases for clothes for us.

Looking back to the kids for a moment, I smiled when they were both peering into one car together. When I looked back to Lori and Carol, they were gone and Dad was running up to me with a rifle in hand. "Kathryn get under the car," he whispered out hurriedly, "get Carl and Sophia under one too!" Knowing better than to question my dad right now, I nodded and quickly ran over to the two and pushed them each under a car and told them to keep still and quiet before climbing under my own car. Carl and Sophia were both facing towards me and me towards them as we laid there in silence as the sudden stench of all the rotting bodies and the sounds of their moans fill the air around us. Sophia looked so scared as the stumbling bodies walked past us at their slow pace and I had to hold my fingers up to my lips when she looked at me to remind her to keep quiet so they didn't know she was there. I could see Dad from here and he kept holding his hands up as a silent _stay there_.

I don't know how long we stayed under there until it seemed like they had all passed. I watched as Sophia began climbing out from under the car. "No," I whispered harshly as I began climbing out from under mine just as I heard her sobs and cries. I tried climbing out from under the car faster as I watched her crawl under the car and guardrail next to it before the sound of a snarl snapped my attention to what was in front of me. Screaming, I pulled away and crawled the other way to get out as the walker in front of me tried to grab me. I cried out in pain as I scrapped my cut leg against the pavement, even with Daryl's rag still around it, as I crawled under the rail just like Sophia had and slid on my butt down the small hill until I was able to get to my feet and limp away into the woods and watching over my shoulder as the walker seemed to get closer since I was injured still and couldn't run because of my leg.

**RICK'S POV**

" _No_ ," I shouted as I ran to the guard railing that both Sophia and Kathryn had crawled under to escape the walkers after them. I was worried about Sophia because she was just a little girl, there was no way she could fight them off. But I was _also_ worried about Kathryn because she was injured and her leg would only carry her so far before she couldn't run anymore. Looking around frantically for someone who could help me, I spotted Daryl walking up with T-Dog leaning against his shoulder. "Daryl," I shouted grabbing his attention instantly, "walkers went after Sophia and Kathryn! I'm going for Sophia, go get Kathryn!" Watching him nod once before placing T-Dog to sit near a car, I hopped over the railing and ran down and over towards the direction Sophia had run as I pointed him in the direction I watched my own daughter go.

**DARYL'S POV**

With my crossbow loaded, I jumped over the railing and ran off the way Rick pointed me for his daughter. If it weren't for someone else running out away from those damn geeks I'm sure Rick would've went after her himself. Reaching the tree line, I looked at the ground and the brush, looking for signs of disturbance to show me exactly which way she went with that geek on her tail. I followed the trail, but _damn_ I didn't think an injured girl could run so fast. When the trail looked like it was fading, I began to fear the worse, that I'd never find her. But then something caught my eye, a small thin trail of blood on the ground. Fearing that she could've been bitten, I picked up my pace and followed the new trail as I tried to find her faster. Off to the side of the trail, there was that rag I had wrapped around her leg in my truck after the CDC. Stopping for just a moment to pick up the rag, there was slightly more blood on it and the trail seemed to become a little more noticeable.

Before I had a chance to move, I heard a scream close by. Jerking my head in the direction of the scream, I took off running with my crossbow aimed and ready for anything that might be waiting for me near the scream. Coming to a small break in the trees, there was Kathryn lying on the ground with a stick in her hands trying to hold off the walker that had chased after her. I could see her leg from here and see that it was bleeding once again. "Hey _dumbass_ ," I shouted to get the geek's attention away from her, which it work. Its head turned to look at me, seemingly forgetting about the girl it was trying to sink its nasty teeth into just seconds ago. Standing up and stumbling its way towards me, I shot a bolt quickly through its forehead before making my way over to a breathing hard Kathryn. She was still lying back on the ground, using her elbows for support, when I knelt down beside her and grabbed her right leg.

"What are you doing," she asked watching me as I reached behind me where I had tucked the rag. "You're bleeding again," I mumbled, not lifting my eyes to look at her as I took one side of the rag and gently wiped away the blood on her leg before turning the rag over and tying it around her leg. "Thanks," I heard her whisper after I had finished and pulled back. "Think ya can stand," I asked as I stood to my feet and watched her. I held my hand out to her, when she seemed to be making no move to get up on her own. As I helped pull her to a stand, I watched as she winced when she placed any sort of pressure on her right leg. "Sorry," she muttered when she looked up at me apologetically. Holding on to her by her left arm so she wouldn't fall to the ground since she wasn't placing any weight on her leg, I placed my crossbow over my shoulders before I moved her arm I was holding to rest over my shoulders while I moved my right arm down to hold onto her waist, taking most over her weight.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I couldn't look over at Daryl as we walked after he placed his arm around my waist to keep me upright. I knew a blush was burning my cheeks so I did everything I could to keep him from glancing over at me and seeing that blush. I limped while he walked, as we made our way back to the highway where the rest of our group was sitting and waiting. Daryl told me, as we drew closer, that my dad had went after Sophia and asked him to come get me. I groaned at the sight of the small incline, the very one I slid _down_ to get away from that damn walker that chased me. "I'll go up first," Daryl said when we came to a stop at the base of the small hill.

He pulled my arm off his shoulder and I leaned forwards, towards the hill and placed my hands on it as I watched him climb up. When he was at the top, he turned to watch me as I looked around before taking a deep breath and crawled up the hill since climbing was out of the option with my leg the way it was for now. When I reached the top, Daryl held his hand out to me once again. Grabbing it, he pulled me to a standing position and once I was right in front of the guardrail, he placed both hands on my waist and lifted me up and over the railing before setting me on my feet. "Kathryn," I heard one of the voices of our group call out, pulling my attention away from Daryl to look over and see both Glenn and Carl running towards me. Glenn reached me first as he wrapped his arms around my midsection and pulled me into a hug, my feet coming off the ground for a second as my arms went around his neck and my head on his shoulder.

"Thank God you're okay," Glenn murmured into my hair as he hugged me tighter, like he didn't want to let go. I opened my eyes and looked around when I heard movement and spotted Daryl walking away from where me and Glenn were standing. He glanced back once before walking the rest of the way to the group that was watching the exchange between me and Glenn. "Kathryn," I heard Carl's voice call out and turned my head to look over at him. "Hey buddy," I said pulling out of Glenn's hug and pulling Carl into one. I felt Glenn's hand on my shoulder before I pulled back. "Let's go and wait for Dad with everyone else," I murmured before allowing Glenn to help me limp over towards the group. It was nearly sundown when we heard rustling down towards the trees and coming up the hill. I thought for sure Sophia would be with him, but when he appeared, smiling without her, my heart broke. "Where's Sophia," he asked looking around, his small falling as I nearly broke down.


	15. Walk in the Dark

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I was forced to stay back with the others while Daryl, Dad, Shane, and Glenn all went out to where Dad said he had last left Sophia when he lured the walkers away from her. Dad and Glenn _both_ ordered me to go into the RV and sit there to wait for them to come back. It wasn’t too long before Shane and Glenn came back to the highway without Daryl or Dad. Glenn walked into the RV where I was still sat with T-Dog up at the front of it while I was in the back on the bed I had used back at our old camp in the quarry. “Anything,” I asked when I looked up as he entered the back of the RV where I was. “Daryl and Rick are following a trail,” he said as he walked into the room while I could hear Shane barking out orders to the others from outside. “It’s all my fault,” I muttered as I placed my head in my hands, “I should’ve had her under the same car as me. I knew she was scared.”

“Hey,” Glenn said running towards the bed and sitting beside me on it, “it’s _not_ your fault Kathryn. You couldn’t have known there’d be walkers who were falling behind that group. You’re not to blame here so don’t even try to blame yourself.” I looked up at him, knowing I had tears falling down my cheeks as he lifted his hand up and gently brushed the tears away. “I can’t help but blame myself Glenn,” I mumbled as I continued to stare up at him. He pulled his hand away from my cheek and pulled me into a hug before speaking up again. “It’ll be okay,” he whispered, “your dad and Daryl will find her and she’ll be safe. Everything will be okay, you’ll see.” I nodded as I _tried_ to believe him but something in my gut told me otherwise, I just didn’t want to let him in on that. “Can I go outside now,” I asked looking up at him as I pulled out of his hug. “Yeah c’mon,” he said nodding with a smile before standing up and helping me limp my way out of the RV and placing me in its shade with Carl sitting beside me.

It was nearly dark when Dad and Daryl finally appeared by the guard railing on the side of the highway. Just from the look on Carol’s face and the sound of her sobs, I _knew_ they didn’t find her like they’d hope they would. I limped over towards where Dad and Daryl stood, talking to Carol about her daughter. “The trail went cold,” Dad said as I got into ear shot and Daryl’s eyes seemed to land on me as I limped closer, “we’ll pick it up first light.” “You can’t leave my daughter out there in the woods alone by herself,” Carol cried as Lori wrapped her arms around her shoulders to try and comfort her. “Being out in the dark would do us no good,” Daryl said as he turned his attention to Carol, “we’d just be tripping over ourselves. _More_ people would get lost out there.” “But she’s _12_ ,” Carol pleaded, “she can’t be out there on her own.”

“We have to make this an organized effort,” Dad said still trying to calm her down, “Daryl knows the woods better than anybody. I’ve asked him to oversee this whole thing, help us find your little girl and get her back safely with us. We’ll find her Carol but we need the light to do it and stumbling around in those woods blindly won’t help.” I watched as Lori pulled a sobbing Carol away while Carl followed behind her and Daryl hopped over the guardrail. As everyone walked off, Glenn stayed by my side as Dad walked to me and wrapped me in a hug. “I thought I lost you too out there,” he whispered as my arms went around him. “I’m fine Dad,” I whispered back as I buried my face in his shoulder, “Daryl got to me before the walker did.” “How’s your leg,” he asked pulling away. “Hurts,” I mumbled, “but walking on it is helping a little. As long as I don’t try to hard I won’t start bleeding again.”

**DARYL’S POV**

I was stretched out in the RV, the sound of a crying Carol the only noise in the entire thing. She didn’t like Rick leaving her little girl out there in the woods at night but what else were we to do? Most everyone was asleep, some in here in the RV, some out in other cars. So to say I was startled when I noticed a light outside the window of the RV when everyone _should’ve_ been asleep was an understatement. Sitting up, I looked around before getting to my feet and going to the window to look out better. The sight I saw outside the RV’s window shocked the hell out of me. There was Kathryn, limping along and hiding behind cars to keep out of Dale’s sight as he was on watch right now. Groaning, I grabbed my crossbow and quietly followed after her. When I got closer to her, I finally let my presence be known to her, causing her to jump.

“Where you think you’re goin’,” I asked as she jumped and spun around, flashlight in hand. “I’m goin’ to find Sophia,” she stated matter of factly. “I don’t think so,” I said shaking my head and pointing my own flashlight down to her injured leg, “not on that leg you’re not.” “I’m going out there to find Sophia,” she said pointing out towards the woods behind her, “I’d much rather it was _me_ lost out there instead of her. She shouldn’t even be out there in the first place if I had her under the car with me instead of under one by herself.” “Your dad would kill you if he knew you were trying to sneak out into the woods to find Sophia,” I said shaking my head at the stubborn girl in front of me. “Look I’m _going_ out there to look for her,” she said glaring at me, “either you can come with me or I can go by myself and end up lost like Sophia is now, but either way I’m _going_ out there to look.” I watched as she turned around after that, not giving me a chance to argue any more, and started limping towards the woods.

Groaning again, I made sure my crossbow was loaded before I followed after her. It wasn’t hard to catch up with her, after all she was limping because of her leg. When I caught up to her, it stayed quiet as we both moved our flashlights around to illuminate our path through the woods and also to try and give Sophia something to look at. “So um,” she said after a few minutes, “thanks for I guess saving me back at the CDC.” I looked over at her for a second before just turning back to watch where I was walking, not answering her at all. It was quiet for a few more minutes before she spoke up again. “You know who you remind me of,” she said causing me to look over at her while she just continued to stare straight ahead, “you remind me of Tarzan. You know, strong and silent. A man of _few_ words.”

**KATHRYN’S POV**

“I remind you of _Tarzan_ ,” Daryl’s voice said after a few minutes, us coming to a stop and me looking over at him to see he had a curious expression on his face. “Yeah,” I said blushing and looking down to my feet, “kind of anyway.” It was quiet again. I _hated_ this silence around him but how the hell was I supposed to make some sort of conversation with this man? “Let’s get back to lookin’ for the girl,” Daryl said after another moment before walking on in the direction we were headed. Sighing, I began trying to catch up to him with the limp I had. It seemed like everything go so _awkward_ after I told him that he reminded me of Tarzan. I couldn’t help it, he _did_. He slowed his pace after a minute or two, allowing me the chance to catch up to him and walk beside him once again.

“Do you think we’ll find Sophia,” I finally asked after a couple of moments. I was looking down towards my feet as I limped along but I couldn’t exactly help the sadness that filled me when I asked about Sophia. I still blamed myself for her getting lost out here. He lifted his light to shine in my face but not where he’d blind me doing so before lowering it back down and speaking. “You’re getting that look on your face like the rest of ‘em,” he said looking around the dark woods, “we just started _looking_ for her.” “But do you,” I asked lifting my head to look at him. “It ain’t the mountains of Tibet,” he said looking at me, “it’s _Georgia_. She could be hiding in a farmhouse or something somewhere. We’ll find her. People get lost, yet they survive.” “But she’s just a little _kid_ ,” I said lowering my head again, “she’s only 12.” He could get mad with me all he wanted but this was the most conversation I’ve seen this man have with someone period and I didn’t want him to stop talking.

“Hell,” he said looking around again, “I was younger than her and I got lost. I spent 9 days in the woods, eating berries and wiping my ass with poison oak.” “They found you,” I asked looking up at him curiously, intrigued that he was telling me something about himself. “My old man was off on a bender with some waitress,” he said, “Merle was doing another stint in juvie. Didn’t even _know_ I was gone. I made my way _back_ thought. Went straight into the kitchen and made myself a sandwich.” I looked over at him and smiled, a single laugh coming from my throat as I lifted my hand to cover the smile on my face. “I was no worse for wear,” he said after a few minutes, “except my ass itched something awful.” I don’t think he heard the laugh I made before but when he said that I couldn’t hold back the almost snort like laugh that escaped me.

“I’m sorry,” I said covering my mouth when he looked over at me, I was trying to hide the smile on my face from him. We kept walking as I tried to keep from laughing but I was failing. My smile grew though when he smiled and chuckled along with me. I had never seen him smile before, and I wished I had better lighting so I could see it better. “Only difference is Sophia has people out looking for her,” he said after a few minutes, “I call that an advantage.” I looked over at him and nodded, before looking down to my feet as I continued to limp on beside him. “Oh and one more thing,” he said after a few minutes, “I’m no _Tarzan_.” “Yeah keep telling yourself that,” I said smirking over at him as a small smirk crossed his face and he shook his head at me. “C’mon let’s keep lookin’ for the girl,” he said and continued on down our chosen path.


	16. The Search for Sophia

**KATHRYN'S POV**

To say I was disappointed when Daryl and I got back to where our vehicles were after not finding Sophia like I had hoped we would was an _understatement_. I wanted more than anything to find her and bring her back safe and sound, but I guess God had other plans right now for her and we'd just have to keep looking until we could find her. That night, after getting back unnoticed by Dale, I didn't sleep to well because I worried about the poor girl out there all alone in the darkness. That next morning, I was up with everyone else as they got ready to head out in a search party. "Dad _please_ let me come with y'all," I begged from by Carol's Cherokee were we'd slept last night. Lori had walked over to the others with Carl and I was currently pulling my mess you'd call hair back into a ponytail.

"I almost lost you yesterday," he said looking at me with an exasperated look, "and you're also injured Kathryn. I want you to stay here with Dale." "Dad I'm _fine_ ," I said crossing my arms to look up at him, "I went walking through the woods last night. I'll be okay." "You what," he asked looking at me. "Daryl was with me," I said before he thought I went alone, "and I was _fine_. Dad _please_ don't make me just sit around here." "She'd be able to keep up," a voice said from behind me causing me to turn around quickly to see Daryl standing there, "we wouldn't be goin' too fast and she'd have all of us to look out for her if anythin' should happen." I looked back to Dad and started batting my eye lashes up at him to get him to agree. " _Please_ Daddy," I said with a small smile as I begged him to let me come along. "Alright fine," Dad said lifting his hand up slightly, "here you're taking this too."

I didn't even know he had taken my gun from me until he held it out towards me. Taking it I stuck it in the back of my shorts and pulled my shirt down over it before following him and Daryl towards were everyone was meeting up at to hear the plan for searching for Sophia. "Everyone takes a weapon," Dad said as he rolled out a case that held machetes and other sharp objects in it that Carl found yesterday while Dad and Daryl looked for Sophia. "These aren't the kind of _weapons_ we need," Andrea said looking down skeptically at the items in front of her on the hood of the car, "what about the _guns_." I rolled my eyes as I looked to Dad and Shane to see which one would speak up. "Daryl, Rick and I are carrying," Shane said looking up at her as everyone grabbed something, "we can't have people popping off rounds every time a tree rustles."

"It's not the _trees_ I'm worried about," she said completely ignoring the point Shane was making. "Say somebody fires at the wrong moment," Shane said obviously annoyed, "a herd happens to be passing by. See then it's game over for _all_ of us. So you need to get over it, and get over it _now_." It was quiet for a few minutes after that, Andrea finally getting the point. "The idea is to take the creak up about five miles," Daryl said looking around at us all, "then we'll turn around and come back down the other side. Chances are she'll be by the creak, it's her only landmark out there." "Keep quiet and stay sharp," Dad said as he looked around at everyone before placing his hand on Carl's head and walking over towards the RV. "Everybody assemble your packs," I heard Shane call out as I pulled my gun out from behind me and checked the clip to see how much ammo was in it. The second I placed the clip back into the gun and checked to make sure the safety was still on, I heard a scoff come from my left.

**DARYL'S POV**

I turned my attention to Andrea to see what the hell her problem was, but not before noticing the gun in Kathryn's hand as she too looked to Andrea. "If only you, Rick, and Daryl are carrying then how come _she_ has a gun," Andrea said glaring at Shane then over at Kathryn. "She's been trained in how to use one and to think before pulling the trigger," Shane said glaring right back at Andrea, "her dad's been taking her to the shooting range for a few years before this shit happened. She keeps the gun." Andrea scoffed again before glaring at Kathryn again as she walked off towards where we were going to enter the woods at. I looked over to Kathryn once more before everyone began following behind Andrea, Kathryn placing her hand on Carl's shoulder as she limped with him right beside her.

**KATHRNYN'S POV**

I kept my hand on Carl's shoulder as we trekked through the woods, going along the same path Daryl and I took the night before. "How's your leg," Glenn asked walking up beside me where I was still limping along beside my little brother. "It's fine," I said looking over at him before my attention went up ahead towards were Daryl was walking up front with Dad and Shane. I could feel Glenn's eyes on me as I watched the men up front but he didn't say a word as the group rounded some trees to see a tent set up. Everyone stopped as Daryl and Dad stepped up towards the tent, Shane following behind slightly with Carol beside him. I could faintly hear Carol calling out softly for Sophia as I kept my arm around Carl while we waited to see if she was in there.

With no luck on her coming out, Daryl disappeared inside to have a look around before he finally came back out. "It ain't her," he said as he picked back up his crossbow that I didn't even realize he had sat down. "What's in there," I asked stepping forward with Carl, causing Daryl to look over at me. "Some _guy_ ," Daryl said as he placed his knife back into it's holster, "did what Jenner said, opted out. Ain't that what he called it?" I sighted as I ran my hands up and down Carl's shoulders, causing him to look up at me with said eyes as I looked down at her. "We'll find her," I said trying to comfort him, hoping that we truly _would_ find her. In that second, we heard what sounded like church bells and a number of things ran through my mind as we headed off towards the sound with me being left behind because of my limp.

When I finally caught up, Dad and Shane were arguing about the church spotted not being the one because there was no steeple on it. Dad didn't seem to care though, as he hauled ass down towards the church anyway to search inside it. As the others went up to the doors of the church, and Dad, Daryl, and Shane went inside, I walked over to the tree out front and sat down in the shade as I leaned against it to rest. After trying to _run_ with the others, my leg was starting to throb a little. If I wanted to stay out here and look for Sophia, I couldn't let anyone else know it was hurting me. I had closed my eyes as I rested, but I soon opened them again when I heard someone approaching me and when I looked up it was Glenn just as he knelt down in front of me where my injured leg was stretched out.

"It's hurting you isn't it," he asked looking at me. I looked away, because it _was_ hurting some but not enough to make me want to give up looking for Sophia. "You should tell your dad," he said when I wasn't going to answer. "No," I said sharply as I quickly turned my head to look at him, "I want to stay out and continue to help look for Sophia. Please don't say anything Glenn." I gave him a pleading look before he sighed and nodded as he stood back up and helped me up as everyone gathered around the tree I had been resting against and Dad dished out a plan. Splitting the group up while me, him, Shane, and Carl stayed behind to sweep the area a bit more incase Sophia heard the bells.

So now here we are, walking in the woods heading the opposite way our group went, looking for Sophia and hoping for the best. Dad did something in the church before we headed out, giving me time to rest my leg before we pushed on. After Dad came out of the church, we headed off into the woods, him in front with me and Carl in the middle and Shane bringing up the rear. The sound of a branch snapping had us all stopping to see what it was. Instead of a walker or Sophia, it was a deer, a buck. Smiling at the sight, I looked down to see Carl moving slowly towards it. As Shane lifted his gun, Dad call his name out to stop him as I placed my hands on Carl's shoulders and followed him up closer to the deer.

Keeping a slow pace, we edged our way closer to the deer in front of us until I finally pulled us to a stop so that we didn't get to close and spook it. After a few minutes, I glanced back at Dad with an unspoken question. Seeming to catch on, he nodded before I turned my attention back to my brother. Cautiously stepping around him and kneeling in front of him, I continued to keep my hands on his shoulder as I now had to look up slightly from my position. "Okay bud," I whispered smiling, "time to keep moving on." Before he had a chance to answer me, the sound of a gunshot could be heard just as I felt a sudden pain erupt in my left shoulder sending me _and_ Carl falling to the ground with me over him slightly just as I lost consciousness from the sudden pain I felt.


	17. The Farm

**SHANE'S POV**

I watched Carl and Kathryn go down, the echo from the sudden gunshot ringing through the air as Rick began to panic. We both ran over to the two, unconscious on the ground, before I knelt down with Rick and rolled Kathryn onto her back and off of Carl. The bullet went clean through the deer in front of them and her left shoulder, coming to a stop in Carl's abdomen on his right side. I heard rustling in the trees as this man with a rifle appeared, looking horrified at the sight before him as Rick took his belt off and wrapped it around Carl as a make shift tourniquet. I was placing some pressure on Kathryn's shoulder when the man started stuttering, saying he didn't see either one of the two unconscious kids in front of us.

Before long he began saying that he knew someone who could help both Carl and Kathryn. Hearing that, Rick quickly picked Carl up into his arms and looked to the man in a silent request for directions. Being pointed the way, Rick quickly darted off with that man running with him while I picked Kathryn up in my arms and ran too. As we were running, Rick seeming to struggle after a while with carrying the boy, Kathryn groaned in my arms before her eyes began to open. "Hang in there girl," I grunted as I continued to run, feeling her move around as I kept my eyes ahead of me to where Rick was running with Carl. "Shane," she shouted shocked, "Shane put me _down_!" "No can do sweetheart," I said as I kept going before I felt her hitting me with the fist on the arm that wasn't shot. "I said _put me down_ ," she said as she hit me with each word she shouted.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I wanted down on my own two feet, I didn't like _Shane_ carrying me. I didn't care if my leg was still bad enough where I wouldn't be able to keep up with them, I just didn't want to be carried like I was. Before long, Dad disappeared from sight with my little brother unconscious in his arms. The jarring from Shane running was really starting to hurt my shoulder, I lowered my head and placed my and to my forehead for a moment but when I looked back up a farm house had come into view. When we were in the yard of the house, I fought harder against Shane to get him to put me on my feet. Finally he placed me down and I quickly limped away from him towards were Dad had just walked out onto the front porch with Carl's blood on his shirt. " _Dad_ ," I called out, causing him to look to me.

I quickly limped up the stairs to the porch and ran straight into his arms as he hugged me as tight as he dared with my injured shoulder. "Let's get you looked at," Shane said as he came up the steps after asking about Carl while I remained in my dad's arms. Dad turned me around to the door, his hand gently resting on my shoulders as he guided me into the house. We walked into the house, coming to a stop at the room door where I finally got a good look at my little brother laying there unconscious on the bed with an older man using some kind of cloth as a pad to place pressure on his stomach where the bullet hit him. "Do you know his blood type," the older man said after we stood there a couple seconds. "A-positive," Dad said from beside me, "same as mine."

"Sweetheart what happened to you," a woman said catching sight of my left shoulder when she looked to Dad as he spoke. "I was shot when my brother was," I whispered out as my eyes stayed on him, "I was kneeling down in front of him when it happened. Is he gonna be alright?" "We're going to do all we can to help him," she said walking over to me, "but let's get your shoulder looked at so that we can keep it from getting infected." "Please worry about my brother," I said, "I'm fine." "Hershel will look after your brother," she said, "but we need to get you looked after too. Beth will you come into the kitchen and help me with her please?" I watched as a young blonde girl nodded and followed us out of the room as she turned me around and pushed me out gently.

"How'd you hurt your leg," the lady asked, noticing my limp and the rag still wrapped around it. "Cut it," I said as she sat me down on a chair in the kitchen and set to work cleaning my shoulder wound. "My name's Beth," the blonde girl said smiling at me as she handed the older woman a couple cotton pads for my shoulder once it was cleaned. "Kathryn," I said as I trained my eyes to the door we entered through while the lady placed the pads on my shoulder then wrapped them in place. "Kathryn my name's Patricia," the woman said, "can I see your leg? To make sure it didn't get infected or anything." Nodding silently, I carefully lifted my leg up so that she could pull Daryl's rag off of it and asses it. She handed me the rag after pulling it off, looking at my leg and mentioning it needing a few stitches to make sure it healed properly.

Grimacing, I watched as Beth ran out of the room before running back in with a sewing needle and some thread. Holding Daryl's rag tightly like it was some sort of comfort, I closed my eyes tightly as Patricia began placing a few needed stitches along the wound before taking another cotton pad and placing it over the new stitches to keep them clean. Before she left me alone in the kitchen, she handed me a glass of water and some ibuprofen for the pain I was sure to be in from the gunshot wound and the cut on my ankle. Thanking her, I quickly took the pill and knocked back the glass of water, almost sighing in relief as the cool liquid ran down my throat. I smiled as I sat the glass down on the counter after emptying it, but that smile soon faded as I heard Carl start screaming out in pain.

Getting up and moving as quickly as I could, I made my way back to the room with Carl to see Hershel digging around for one of the fragments of the bullet while Patricia pushed a needle into Dad's arm and Shane held Carl down. "Beth get her out of here," the man named Hershel shouted when he noticed me standing there. The girl gently grabbed my arm and pulled me from the room as I could still hear my brother's cries of pain. "It'll be okay," she whispered as she looked to me while we walked over to a couch in the den of the farm house. "That's my little brother in there," I said as I felt tears fall from my eyes before I placed my hands over my face and cried into my palms. "He'll be alright," she said sitting beside me, "my dad's going to help him in every way he can."

Maggie, Beth's older sister, came out and joined us in the den after a while and not long after that Dad and Shane finally came out. "He's stable for now," Shane said looking to me as I just watched Dad take a seat with a bandage around his arm they used to do the transfusion earlier. "How are we going to tell Lori," I asked after a couple of minutes, looking right at Dad as he looked up at me before shaking his head. We sat in silence again before Hershel came out of Carl's room, explaining to Dad what was needed to be done and what was needed to _do_ it. Shane and Otis were leaving to go get the medical supplies requested by Hershel while Maggie asked where to find Lori to bring her here.

I watched as Shane and Otis drove off to the high school and Maggie rode off on her horse to bring Lori back here while Dad, Patricia, and Hershel wandered back inside the house to check on Carl. I stayed out on the porch, just listening to the silence around me. I just sat there, lost in my own little world, _consumed_ by my thoughts of the group back on the highway. I'm sure Glenn had to be worried by now after we didn't show back up. I could just _imagine_ how he'll react when he sees me with my arm bandaged up from getting shot. Just thinking about that had me laughing, that boy worried about me way too much. "What's got you laughing," Beth's voice asked softly, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Just thinking about how a friend will react when they see me after getting shot," I said smiling over at her as she walked over to where I sat in one of the rockers on the porch. "They the worrying type," she asked while I smiled. "Oh yeah," I said nodding, " _big_ time." Beth sat with me for a while before she finally went back inside with the others, only to be replaced by Dad a couple minutes later. "You alright," I asked looking at him as he took the seat Beth had been occupying earlier. "When I find out Carl's fine I will be," he said looking over at me tiredly, "what about you?" "I got shot in the shoulder and my leg was cut on glass days before," I said smiling at him, "I'm doing fine. And _Carl_ will be fine too just as soon as Shane and Otis get back with those supplies."

He smiled at me and reached over, grabbing my hand that was closest to him and giving it a gentle squeeze. "I don't know what I would do if I had lost you _both_ today Kathryn," he said still holding onto my hand as he looked over at me. "You ain't getting rid of me that easily Daddy," I said smiling at him and squeezing his hand back. Before either one of us could say anything else, the sound of hoof beats in the distance caught our attention. Dad got up out of his chair and walked over to the railing, watching the movement in the distance grow closer. The moment he walked over to the steps that led down to the ground and over to Maggie's horse, I knew she'd found Lori and brought her safely here. I watched silently as Dad told her what happened with Carl before quickly leading her inside to the room he was in while I just simply stayed outside on the porch.


	18. Carl

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I stayed outside well after Lori got here, just sitting by myself out on the Greene's front porch as I watched for Shane and Otis to come back. "Hey," I heard a voice say as the sound of the screen door opening brought me out of my thoughts of whether or not they'd make it back in time. "Hey," I said looking over towards Maggie who had walked out the door. "Made you some tea," she said handing me a cup with a smile. "Thanks Maggie," I said taking it from her before taking a sip from the drink. "How's your shoulder," she asked sitting on the railing in front of me, "and your leg?" "My leg's fine," I said smiling, "but my shoulder hurts. Guess that's to be expected, huh?" "I can talk to Dad in a bit," she said standing up, "see if we've got any painkillers for you." "Thanks," I said smiling and nodding as she turned and went back inside.

I could hear Dad and Lori talking in Carl's room, talking about whether Shane would be back in time. Dad started telling her that story about Shane from when they were in high school, when he stole the principle's car. Maggie had come back out some time later, sitting off to the side on the other side of their porch while I stayed in my rocker I was currently occupying. I lifted up my injured leg, careful not to pop any of the stitches on it, and wrapped my arm around my knee as I used my other foot to gently rock me back and forth as my head laid back against the back of the chair and I closed my eyes and just _listened_ to the silence around me. It wasn't quiet for long before I heard the sound of a car pulling up the drive to the Greene's farm.

**GLENN'S POV**

Dale told me to bring T-Dog here to the farm house, get his arm looked at. I wanted to stay behind with everyone else, I felt like I was _always_ the one doing something else from the rest. But I guess I couldn't really complain. After hearing Kathryn had been shot with Carl, I was worried about her. Pulling up to the house with T-Dog, we got out and made our way up to the door. "Kathryn," I said when I found her smiling face sitting on a rocker on the front porch, "you're alright." "Don't tell me you were worried about me," she said as she stood up to greet me when I ran over to her and hugged her, "careful of my shoulder please." I pulled away quickly and looked at her shoulder before I heard another girl's voice speak up.

"Did you close the gate up the road when you drove in," she asked causing me, T-Dog, and Kathryn to look over at her where she sat on another chair in the shadows of the house. "Uh hi," I said looking to Kathryn the back to the girl from before, "yes. We closed it. Did the latch and everything." I glanced at Kathryn before looking back to the girl as she sat forwards in the seat, placing her feet on the ground and she smiled over at the three of us. "Hello," I said, "nice to see you again." "Look we came to help," T-Dog said, "there anything we can do?" I watched as she stood up before glancing at T-Dog's arm. "It's not a bite," he said, "cut myself pretty bad thought." "We'll have it looked at," she said walking by us, "I'll tell them you're here."

"We have some painkillers and antibiotics," I said digging through my pack where I had placed the medicine the Daryl gave me back on the highway, "I already gave him some. If Carl needs any, or Kathryn." I glanced over at Kathryn as I said that, seeing her hold her hand out for the bottle in my hand that had the pills. She popped it open and took a pill dry before handing the bottle back to me just as the girl spoke again. "C'mon inside," she said, "I'll make you something to eat." I let Kathryn go first before T-Dog and I followed behind her, only to stop in a room where Rick, Lori, Carl, some other woman, and an older man were. I looked over at Kathryn to see she was fighting back tears as she stared down at her little brother. I placed my hand lightly on her back, rubbing gentle circles there as she looked over at me and smiled weakly before looking back to Carl.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I was grateful to have Glenn here now, I could use a friend while I worried about my brother. "Hey," Glenn spoke softly to Dad and Lori, causing Dad to look up and over at him. "Hey," Dad said as he looked at us standing in the doorway to Carl's room. "Um," he said as the soothing movement of his hand stopped, "we're here, okay?" "Thank you," Lori said looking up at him and nodding. They started to walk out when Glenn looked back at me where I still stood. "I'll be there in a second," I said as he looked at me and nodded once before following Maggie and T-Dog from the room. I looked back to my brother's unconscious form as I watched Hershel pull back the blanket and take a look at his stomach. "If they don't get back soon," he said looking to Dad and Lori, "we're going to have a decision to make." "And what decision would that be," I asked taking a step forwards and looking at him.

"Whether to operate on Carl without the respirator," he said looking from me to Dad and Lori, then down to Carl in front of him. "You said that wouldn't work," Lori said looking to him. "I know," he said, "it's _extremely_ unlikely. But we can't _wait_ much longer." Not being able to take much more, I walked out of the room. It was Dad's and Lori's decision if they allowed Hershel to operate without the respirator, I had not real say in that. I walked into the kitchen to see Patricia stitching up T-Dog's arm as Glenn stood by with Maggie just watching. "I could've used you here earlier," I said smirking at Glenn as I walked over to him, "you _know_ how I hate needles." "I'm sorry," he said holding his arm out for me. Smiling, I walked over to him as he gently rested his arm across my shoulders as I laid my head into his.

"C'mon let's go outside," I said watching Glenn grimace every time T-Dog would groan in pain as Patricia stitched him up. I pulled out of Glenn's arm and grabbed his hand before pulling him outside to the porch where I sat when they first arrived tonight. I watched as he sat down on a rocker, placing the cup he had with him down on the floor of the porch before bowing his head. I placed my hand on his shoulders, rubbing back and forth as a sort of return gesture for him doing the same for me moments ago when we were in Carl's room. "You okay," I asked as I looked down at him. "Just worried," he said looking up at me. "We all are," I said nodding, "I'm going to go back in, see what's going on in Carl's room and if they've made a decision." He nodded before I turned and walked back inside.

**RICK'S POV**

I was hugging Lori as we watched Hershel get Carl ready for the operation that we were going to risk doing when Kathryn walked into the room. "Dad what's going on," she asked panicked as she looked around at what was happening. "We're going to do the operation," I said looking at her before holding my arms out to her after Lori moved to where Carl was. I could see the fear in her eyes as she quickly moved over to where I was standing as I wrapped my arms around her while she placed her head in my chest. "It'll be _okay_ ," I whispered as I ran my hand down her hair to try and comfort her. "Rick," Hershel said catching my attention, "Lori, Kathryn, y'all may want to leave the room." Just as he was getting ready to start, there was the sound of a car approaching.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"Dad that's a car," I said quickly as I turned from his arms and limped my way to the front door with him and Lori right behind me. I stayed on the porch after we realized it was the truck Shane and Otis left in while everyone else went down to great him. I only saw Shane climb out of the cab of the truck, not Otis. I walked over to the chair and sat down as everyone quickly made their way inside, everyone but Glenn as he stayed outside with me while we waited to see what was going to happen now. "You need to get some rest Kathryn," Glenn said after a while. "Not until I know Carl will be alright," I said shaking my head as I looked over to Dad and Lori sitting on the steps to the porch as we waited.

When Hershel came out and said Carl was going to be fine, I nearly fell to my knees in happy tears. Dad went with Hershel to tell Patricia about Otis while me and Lori went to Carl's room. We both sat on either side of his bed, both grabbing ahold of his hands and just holding them, thanking God that he pulled through this. "Kathryn why don't you get some sleep," Lori asked after realizing I looked tired, "Carl's going to be fine." "No," I said shaking my head but not looking at her, "I want to wait until he wakes up. I have to _know_ he's going to be alright before I can close my eyes and sleep." She nodded but didn't say another word as we all, her, me, and Dad, sat by his side all night. When morning finally arrived, Hershel was in the room with us as he checked on Carl.

I quickly jumped up when I saw Carl moving around on the bed after being so _still_ all night. "Carl," I whispered as I immediately grabbed his hand. I smiled when I saw his blue eyes open as I sat on the edge of his bed, Lori and Dad standing right beside me looking down at him. "Sophia," he asked looking from Dad, to Lori, then to me. I looked to Dad, figuring he'd answer Carl's question. "Fine," he lied, "she's fine." "You need to rest," Lori said to him, "we'll all be right here." Carl nodded before closing his eyes and drifting back to sleep. I smiled down at my sleeping brother as I held his hand a moment longer before the sound of a motorcycle could be heard. "They're here," T-Dog said after entering the room as we all looked to him.

Standing up, we walked outside with him to greet the others in our group as the pulled to a stop in the front yard of Hershel's farm. My eyes instantly went to Daryl as he pulled to a stop in front of everyone else. "Dad I'm going to go lay down next to Carl," I whispered to him after catching Daryl's eye a moment. "Alright," he said nodding before he and Lori walked down the steps while I looked back to Daryl once more. I went to walk inside when I heard footsteps walk over towards me quickly before I could enter and a hand grabbed my wrist. "You alright," Daryl asked when I looked back to see it was him. "I'm _fine_ Tarzan," I said smirking at him as he made a face and scoffed before releasing my arm so I could go inside with my brother.


	19. What Was That

**KATHRYN**

_"Where are we going," I asked as Daryl grabbed my hand before looking around as if to make sure no one was watching before he pulled me over towards where his bike sat. I was a bit confused as he's never really spoken more than a few words to me, not since that night in the woods, and he hasn't really said anything now as he's dragging me off. My subconscious told me to be looking for my dad for help, but my body was telling me to follow Daryl and see what it was he wanted exactly. I watched as he climbed onto the bike before looking over at me expectantly. Looking around once to see if Dad or anyone else was looking over at us before I hurried to the back of his bike and hopped on behind him. Wrapping my arms around his midsection as he started the bike and pulled off from the farm, I closed my eyes and rested my head on his back as the wind whipped my hair behind me._

_I didn't realize we had come to a stop before I felt Daryl tugging at my arms that were around him still. Lifting my head, I looked around to see we had drove into what looked like a forest path here in the woods near Hershel's farm. Climbing off his bike, I looked around as I waited to see what was going on here. Looking back to Daryl when I heard movement coming closer to me, I opened my mouth ready to ask what was going on when I was stopped suddenly by his lips pressed against my own. Shocked for the briefest of seconds, my eyes widened before fluttering close and my arms wrapping around his neck as I opened my mouth willingly to let him explore. His hands found my hips, thumbs coming into contact with my skin where my tank top I was wearing had risen up after I lifted my arms._

_He pulled my body flush to his so that I could feel_ every _inch of him. He pulled away for a second, looking into my eyes with his blue ones, asking an unvoiced question. Nodding, I lifted my hands up above my head as his fingers brushed against the skin of my stomach before grabbing the fabric of my top and lifting it over my head. In that moment, I was either cursing myself or praising myself for not wearing a bra with this top but the second his hands touched my bare chest, I was_ praising _myself and moaning with his touch. Moving my own hands to the front of his shirt as he attached his lips to mine once more, I began trying to undo the buttons on his shirt but my hands were shaking too badly. Finally, he just pulled away front me and pulled both his angel winged vest and sleeveless flannel shirt off before placing them on the ground by our feet._

_Wrapping his arms around me and pulling me completely against him once again, chest to chest, he gently lowered us down onto the ground until we were laying on his discarded vest and shirt with him over top of me. He pulled his mouth away from mine before trailing it down my jaw, neck, past my chest and down my stomach where he began to unfasten the belt and button to my jean shorts I was still sporting. Once they were unfastened and splayed open revealing the rest of my stomach and part of my underwear, his hands traveled up to the side of my back as it arched up from the contact of his mouth kissing around the edge of my underwear. My hands went up above my head as his slid down to the hem of my shorts and grabbed ahold of both them and my underwear before tugging them down, me wiggling my hips around to help him._

_He stopped when they were just below my butt, his hands still holding them as his mouth moved further south until reaching its destination, my already soaking core. I couldn't stifle the moans coming from me as his mouth wreaked havoc on my lower region, giving me so much pleasure I'd never felt before in my life. He pulled away from a moment, causing me to whimper from the loss of touch and hearing a chuckle from him as he quickly pulled my shorts and underwear down completely off of my body and tossing them over to where my tank laid forgotten. He took the time then to unbuckle and unbutton his own jeans but didn't take them off, not yet letting me see him completely. Taking his hands, he spread my legs further apart before lowering his face down once more to my heated core and attaching his lips to my aching clit as his hands massaged the skin on my lower stomach._

_I could feel the burn building in my lower stomach as he continued his assault on my body, his right hand moved down over my hip and behind my butt before following the curve up to the back of my thigh where he lifted my leg up and placed it over his shoulder. Next thing I felt was that same hand moving back up the inside of my thigh before he moved his head back slightly and using his finger, began rubbing my clit and sending shocks of pleasure through my body. I was still distracted by the intense feeling I was receiving when I felt his finger slide down and to my entrance before slowly pushing inwards. I sucked in a breath at the new feeling as he pulled his finger out slowly before pushing it back in, increasing his pace ever couple of moves. I could feel myself beginning to come undone as he picked up the pace even more before adding a second finger and reattaching his mouth to my clit, sucking and nibbling on the little bundle of nerves._

_My hands moved down to the top of his head, which would lift up to look at me every now and then as he continued to move his fingers in and out of me with a smirk evident on his face before lowering his mouth back down. The burning feeling in the pit of my stomach grew as he increased his pace yet again with his two fingers working their magic on me from the inside as they curved upwards, hitting their mark inside me and causing my stomach to tighten with the buildup of my release. After a few more thrusts from his fingers and his tongue still working it's magic on my clit, I felt myself jump over the edge and into the pure bliss of my orgasm as my body shook from the pleasure he had given me. My fingers tightened in his hair, trying to hold on for dear life, as I felt my eyes role into the back of my head and I began seeing stars from the intensity of that orgasm._

_When I came down from my high, still breathing heavily, I sat up slightly and motioned for him to come closer with my index finger. Moving forwards, I met him half way once he sat up too and brought my lips to his and instantly tasted myself on him. Pulling myself as close to him as I could get, I allowed him to enter his tongue into my mouth again as my hands traveled down to his still clothed waist. Pulling away from his mouth so I could look down at what I was doing, I felt his mouth come into contact with my neck as I tugged on his jeans and boxers, trying to get them to fall from his waist. Finally he put me out of my misery and pulled back to take his jeans and boxers off before pushing me back down onto my back. I smiled up at him as he opened my legs wide and nestled himself between them with his erection in his hand as he scooted closer to my opening. I felt him plunge the tip in before coming to a natural barrier before pulling back out so he could thrust back in and break through._

I bolted up right in bed, my hand over my heart and my body breaking out in a cold sweat. Where the hell did _that_ come from? I looked over to my left, Carl was still sound asleep in the bed next to me and that's what freaked me out the most. I just had a _wet dream_ with my kid brother in the bed next to me. I have no idea of knowing if I made a sound while in the middle of that dream or not. But from the looks of Carl still being out cold, I'd say I didn't make any noise thankfully. I lifted my left arm to gently rub my shoulder, I was lucky the bullet went straight through, but Carl wasn't as he got the worst of it. Deciding to lay back down, I closed my eyes to try and go back to sleep and hopefully _not_ dream about that again while my brother was next to me.


	20. Snuck Away

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I couldn't sleep after that dream. No matter how hard I tried to I just couldn't. Looking over beside me at my little brother laying fast asleep on the bed beside me, I decided to just get back up and see what I could do to help out, which I knew wouldn't be much with the state I was in at that point in time. Carefully, I climbed off the bed next to Carl and limped my way out of the room and out of the house onto the front porch. Everyone else was away from the house, probably doing some sort of _burial_ for Otis after he didn't make it back alive with Shane last night when they both went out to that high school to get the supplies needed for Carl. It seemed almost quiet around the farm house with Carl asleep in the room he was placed in and everyone else over doing that for Otis. Looking around the porch for a moment, I finally limped over to one of the rockers and sat down to wait for everyone to come back to the house.

I don't think I waited _too_ long before they came back, moving the cars to sit under the grouping of trees in the Greene's front yard and off to the side. Even from where I sat, I could hear them talking about finding Sophia. And because Shane and Dad were both basically laid up until tomorrow at the latest, Daryl was the only one going out. I watched as he walked off somewhere on the other side of the house, Dad coming to sit on the steps next to me where I had moved to when he made his way over to the house. "You get any sleep," he asked as we both sat here watching everyone else mill about around the camp for our group. "Yeah some," I said nodding as I felt my cheeks heat up with the memory of my dream. I had to turn my head away to keep him from noticing the blush on my cheeks. "I'll be right back," Dad said when we heard walking and I spotted Daryl walking back the way he came from, now heading towards the woods.

**DARYL'S POV**

I had my crossbow over my shoulder, my left hand holding onto the top of the shoulder strap to keep it in place as I made my way towards the woods, in the direction headed to look for Sophia. "Daryl," I heard a voice call out to me from the steps to the house. Halting my steps, I looked back over my right shoulder to see Rick walking towards me, Kathryn sitting on the steps to the house watching her father make his way towards me. "You okay on your own," he asked after stopping not too far from the steps where he'd obviously been sitting with his daughter. "I'm _better_ on my own," I said before turning and beginning to continue on my way, "don't worry I'll be back before dark." " _Hey_ ," he shouted, signaling he wanted me to stop. I inwardly groaned as I turned back to face him again to see what he wanted.

"We got a base," he said looking at me, "we can get this search _properly_ organized now." "You got a _point_ ," I asked taking a couple steps towards him as I noticed Kathryn watching every move I made, "or are we just _chatting_?" "My _point_ ," Rick said, "is it lets you off the hook. You don't _owe_ us anything." I looked at him and scoffed before turning away. "My other plans fell through," I said as I walked away from him, heading for the direction of the woods. It wasn't too long before I heard a set of footsteps following behind me. The sound of there being a limp to the step, and the sound itself also being light, told me that it was Kathryn following behind me. "Your daddy or the others know you're following me into the woods," I asked, coming to a stop as did the sound of her footsteps while I kept my back to her. "No," she stated and without turning around I could tell she was trying to act all innocent.

"You best be getting back to the house before they find you missin'," I said and glanced back at her over my shoulder, watching as she placed her hands on her hips and glared at me. " _No_ ," she said, "I want to _help_ look for Sophia. I'm in better shape than Dad or Shane." "Like hell you are," I said turning around to face her and taking a few steps towards her, "you're limping worse now than you were early this morning with the rest of us arrived at that house. You need to take your little ass back to the farm house and sit down!" " _No_ ," she said defiantly, "either you willingly let me follow you to look for Sophia, _or_ you walk away and I _still_ follow you to look for Sophia. Daryl I'm not _stupid_ , you won't let anything bad happen to me. And I want to prove to Dad and the others that I'm not some _child_ that can't help out when the help is needed the _most_. Like searching for Sophia out in these woods."

**KATHRYN'S POV**

He stared at me for a moment, as if weighing his choices, either way he wasn't getting rid of me unless he tied my ass to a chair or something. I smiled victoriously when he grumbled and turned away, walking towards the woods. "You best keep up then," he shouted out when I was still savoring my victory. Sobering up quickly, I moved to catch up with him as fast as my injured leg would allow me to. When I finally caught up enough where I could slow my quickened pace, I was walking next to Daryl with my eyes roaming everywhere around us. I wanted to _prove_ I could help search for Sophia. I wasn't as hurt as everyone seemed to believe. Sure I was limping but it wasn't as bad as what Shane was doing. I was still walking by Daryl, but I guess I was off in my own little world when suddenly out of nowhere he grabbed my arm closest to him and jerked me behind a tree, pinning my back to it as he stood in front of me.

I was highly aware of his close proximity to me, with barely _any_ space left between us, as my natural instinct was to scream out in shock. But I was unable to as Daryl's hand came up over my mouth to muffle the scream. Slightly panicked as to what could be going on, and memories of my dream from before flashing through my mind, I peered up at Daryl with his hand still over my mouth as he looked down at me with his blue eyes. I watched as he lifted his other hand that wasn't covering my mouth up to his. "Shhh," he whispered out before pointing out behind where we were at with the tree. Still slightly panicked, I turned my head to look and spotted a single walker roaming the trees a few yards away from us. When I looked back to Daryl, and he could tell I wasn't about to make a sound, he removed his hand from over my mouth and continued to peer around at the shuffling walker.

I braced myself against the tree, palms flat to the bark, as I watched Daryl pull away from me slowly and pull his crossbow off his shoulders. I continued to watch as he walked around the tree, not making a single _sound_ in the process, before he lifted his crossbow with a bolt loaded and ready. I had flipped around so that my stomach was pressed to the tree as I watched in awe as Daryl aimed the crossbow and shot the walker smack in the middle of its head. I walked out from behind the tree as Daryl went to retrieve his bolt before turning to glare at me as he stalked forwards, now I was in trouble. "You need to pay attention to what's going on _around_ you," he said glaring, "not be stuck in that damn head of yours as you walk. You could've gotten yourself killed!"

**DARYL'S POV**

I stared down at the girl as she seemed to shrink back away from me in fear. "I-I-I'm sorry," she stammered as she looked up at me. I groaned and looked away from her and around at our surroundings before looking back to her again. "You said you wanted to be out here to help and _prove_ to everyone you could handle this," I growled at her, "you're doin' a pretty lousy job there Kathryn." I watched as she lowered her head, averting her eyes from me like she was ashamed she had fought to be out there when she thought she couldn't take care of herself like she originally thought she could. Sighing, I placed my crossbow back over my shoulders before using one hand to place under her chin and lift her head back up to look at me. "Let's keep goin'," I whispered before moving my hand away from her and continuing on the way we were headed before the walker appeared.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I watched stunned as he turned and walked away from me. I couldn't help but lift my own hand up to my chin where his had been moments ago. He hadn't been that _gentle_ with me since Sophia first got lost in the woods, when I was chased too and he had to come get me. He had wrapped my leg for me after killing that walker. I knew he wouldn't let any harm come to me out here while we were searching for Sophia, no matter how much of a hardass he tries to portray himself as, but I feel like I'm just a _burden_ to him out here like this. He was right though, I had let myself get consumed by my thoughts and could've easily gotten myself killed had he not grabbed me like he did. "Move your ass back there," Daryl's voice called back, startling me out of my thoughts yet again. And now we're back to the _mad-at-the-world_ Daryl again. Sighing, I walked away from the tree and followed silently behind him.


	21. The Shack

**DARYL'S POV**

It remained quiet between us after the walker incident. Kathryn kept up the best she could with that limp but didn't make a sound as she followed behind me. I still felt a little bad, like I had been just a bit too rough _but_ she had to understand if she wanted to prove herself out here there she couldn't get lost in her head like that. Glancing back at her, I made sure she was still following along behind me before I turned my attention back the way we were headed, looking for any signs of Sophia out here. As we walked, I could see a clearing up ahead of us. "Stay here a moment," I said looking back at her once we reached the edge of the trees to see her nod.

Turning back, I slowly emerged from the tree line and out into the open, looking around for a sign of any kind of threat. I still had my crossbow across my shoulders, hand resting on the shoulder strap and I continued to look around. Slowly pulling the strap up over my head, I held the crossbow in my hands before turning slightly to look back at Kathryn still hidden in the woods. Nodding my head once to tell her to come out, I looked back ahead of us towards this building standing in the center of the clearing as I heard her slowly make her way out of the woods behind me to come to a stop right next to me. Holding my crossbow in hand, I pulled out my single bolt to load into the crossbow as we began silently making our way towards the building. "Whatever you do keep _quiet_ ," I whispered to her as I glanced back once we reached the porch of the shack.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I followed behind Daryl as he led the way with his crossbow armed and ready as we made our way up the stairs of this shack and to its front door. He kicked the door open before walking in with his crossbow aimed as he checked each room we came to on the downstairs portion of the shack. I stayed behind him and out of the way, remaining as quiet as the creaking floors would allow me too. I watched as he searched each room before moving on to the next, looking in every corner where something or someone could hide in wait. With each room he check, he never went in further than just past the door until he came to the kitchen in front of the stairs leading to the next floor. He walked in, me following behind, and made his way to a second room that on the other side of the kitchen itself. I stood in the center of the kitchen as he made his way to peer around the other door to check and make sure it was safe before he backed out of that door and happened to look down.

"What is that," I asked, my voice coming out in a whisper as he picked up an empty and _smelly_ can front the trash by the door. "An empty can of sardines," he said looking up at me a second before looking back to it and pouring out some of the leftover juice. I watched as he lifted his eyes to something just to my left as he lifted his crossbow again, ready for anything. Slowly, I followed his eye line to a slightly opened door that I'm sure lead to a cupboard. Figuring it was in my best interest, I slowly moved around away from the cupboard to stand behind him as he made his way cautiously towards the ajar door. I held my breath as I watched him reach out and quickly open the door to reveal it empty of any signs of life.

I let out the breath I was holding as I watched him visibly relax and seem to stare down at something in the floor of the cupboard. "Daryl," I asked confused as he quickly walked by me. I turned my attention to the floor of the cupboard and spy what caught his attention, blankets in the bottom like someone _small_ had been staying there. I quickly turned and followed after him, out the back door where be quickly moved down the stairs and into the yard. "Sophia," he called out, looking this way and that before moving to one side of the house in the direction we had come from as he looked for her. "Sophia," I shouted as I stayed at the top of the stairs.

"Sophia," he shouted again as he made his way back and I carefully moved down the stairs. "Daryl what is it," I asked as something seemed to catch his attention as he made his way towards the other side of the house and walked towards it. I climbed down the last few steps before limping over to where he knelt down in front of this white flower. "What's that," I asked as I came to stand just behind him. "it a Cherokee rose," he said as he fingered the pedals of the flower, staring at it as if lost in thought. "A _Cherokee rose_ ," I asked confused as he glanced up at me before looking back to the flower. "The story goes," he started, "is that when American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee mothers were grieving and _crying_ so much 'cause they were losin' their little ones along the way from exposure and disease and starvation."

I watched as he stopped talking for a second, picking the flower he had been looking at before standing to his full height and turning to face me. He kept his head lowered towards the flower but I watched as he lifted his blue eyes before continuing on with the story of the flower he was telling me. "A lot of them," he said looking back to the flower, "just _disappeared_." "That's horrible," I gasped as I lifted my hand to cover my mouth as he continued. "So the elders said a prayer," he said nodding, "asked for a sign to uplift the mothers' spirits, give them strength and hope." Again he stopped for a moment, seeming lost in thought as he continued to look at the flower. "The next day," he said, "this rose started to grow right where the mothers' tears fell. I believe this flower bloomed for Sophia." I felt a single tear begin to fall down my cheek as he finished his story about the Cherokee rose and looked back up at me with the flower still in hand.

"I think we should take that back to Carol," I whispered after a few minutes when I was sure my voice wouldn't quiver from the emotions I was feeling as I wiped away the tear that had fallen. "I think we should be getting back," he said nodding as he slowly walked past me as he placed his crossbow over his shoulders before leading the way back into the woods, with me hobbling slowly behind him. I wasn't about to tell him but after so long of not being able to walk far because of the cut on my calf, it was really starting to burn and hurt from all the usage of it. I think he looked back when I wasn't paying attention and caught sight of me limping worse than before. "Told you that you should've stayed back at the farm," he grumbled as he stopped and moved his crossbow so that it was in front of his chest.

"What are you doing," I squeaked out as he walked over towards me before turning his back and bending down, waiting for me to hop on. "Get on," he growled when I didn't move, "you're gonna slow us down with how back you're limping. "But," I said looking at him and hesitating only a second longer before he turned to glare at me. Sighing, I walked forward and took the rose he was handing me before I climbed onto his back. He placed his hands on the backs of my thighs as my hands found his shoulders to hold me close to his back so I didn't fall off while he carried me. "You're heavier than you look," he mumbled while I simply glared at him even though he couldn't see it.

"No one _asked_ you to carry me," I growled back because he called me _fat_ without really saying the word to begin with. Daryl stayed quiet the rest of the way, him carrying me back to the edge of the woods where we'd exit and see the farm. Just before we reached the edge, he sat me back down on my feet before turning his crossbow around to rest against his back once again and took the flower from my hand. I watched as he walked off before I let out a sigh and began limping after him, back to the farm where everyone was. We split off just before we reached the camp of our group, him in search of Carol to give her the flower and me back into the farm house to be with Carl and to rest my leg.

Just as I reached the steps of the house, I looked back towards the group camp and spied Daryl walking up to the RV's door. Just before he entered, almost like he _knew_ , he turned to look back at me where I'd stopped at the foot of the stairs leading towards the porch. Feeling my cheeks heat up with being caught staring, I quickly turned around and made my way up the stairs and into the Greene's house and over to where Carl was sleeping in one of the downstairs bedrooms. I walked in, looking down at my feet and not looking up until after I'd entered the room and heard someone speak up. "And where were _you_ this whole time," Lori's voice said causing me to lift my head to see her staring at me from where she laid beside Carl on the bed. This was _just_ what I needed after the day I had in the woods with Daryl, Lori trying to play _mother_ with me.


	22. Grounded

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"What does it matter to _you_ ," I asked as I walked into the room and sat down in one of the chairs on the far side of the room away from her. As I was taking off my shoes, rubbing the calf of my right leg where the cut was located, I heard movement and looked to see Lori walking towards me. "I'm your _mother_ ," she said glaring, "so it _matters_ to me where you were. Your father has been looking all _over_ for you since this morning when Daryl went off to look for Sophia. That's where you _were_ isn't it? You were with that _redneck_ out in the woods." "Just shut _up_ ," I said glaring at her as I went to stand. "You were in those woods when your leg is injured," she said going on and ignoring my outburst, "I bet you two didn't even _look_ for Sophia while you were out there."

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about," I said, "and even if it were _true_ , what you're insinuating, then you're forgetting one _tiny_ detail. I'm _18_ Lori so I could do whatever the hell I wanted to, with _whoever_ I wanted to! But you're barking up the wrong damn tree if you think me and Daryl did _anything_ out there in those woods besides look for Sophia." She opened her mouth, looking like she wanted to say something else before she quickly clamped it shut and turned, walking out of the room then out of the house. I groaned out in frustration before I heard the door open once again and someone walk to the door for the room Carl and I were in. Looking up, I quickly lowered my head again when I saw that it was Dad. "Go ahead," I mumbled as I kept my head down and walked over to the bed, "yell at me for being stupid."

**RICK'S POV**

"Now why would I do that," I asked leaning against the door frame as I watched Kathryn walk over and sit on the bed next to Carl before she began playing with the hair on his head while he slept. "Because I went out into the woods alone with Daryl," she said not looking up at me as I walked into the room and sat down in one of the chairs next to the bed, "and I'm still injured. But Dad I couldn't just _sit_ here while Daryl was the _only_ person out there looking for her today. I know you and Shane weren't in good enough shape to go out and look for her, and technically neither was I but I knew Daryl wouldn't let anything happen to me out there and I was right." "Seems to me you know what you did was wrong," I said as she slowly lifted her head to look at me, "just take it easy from now on until your leg has healed enough for you to walk without that limp. I don't want you hurt more."

"Yes Daddy," she said smiling at me as I easily returned the smile to her. "When did you grow up on me," I asked with a laugh as she smiled wider, "stay here with your brother and rest. You've had a long day out in those woods today." "Okay Daddy," she said as I stood to my feet before leaning over and placing a gentle kiss to her forehead before moving to Carl's and doing the same thing. "I'll be back to check on y'all both later," I said as I looked at her, "just stay in the house this time. No more running off without telling me or Lori." "Okay Dad," she said nodding and lowering her head. "Why don't you get some sleep," I said noticing how tired she looked, "I know you must be more tired than you look. I'll be back later one." "Okay," she whispered before I walked out of the room.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I guess I should've known Dad wouldn't have been so high strung about me sneaking off with Daryl to help look for Sophia. I know he trusts me to be smart, unlike _Lori_ , who for the second time has accused me of doing _stuff_ with Daryl while we're alone. Although if she knew about that dream I had, she'd _never_ get off my case for it. I just can't figure Lori out, it's like she thinks every second I'm away from our group with that man then I'm out there pulling my pants down and spreading my legs for him. It's a reoccurrence with her anytime Daryl is involved. I wonder what she'd do if I really _did_ go out there into the woods with Daryl, like in my dream, and let him touch me like that. Then again, I never would anyway, the guy likes to keep to himself and I had to _beg_ just to get him to let me tag along.

I'm brought out of my thoughts when I feel Carl shift beside me on the bed. Looking down I can't help but smile as he groans slightly like I always do just after waking up. "Hey buddy," I said smiling down as his blue eyes flutter open before peering up at me. "Mom said you disappeared earlier," he said looking up at me tiredly as I combed my fingers through his short brown hair. "I was out with Daryl today," I said looking down at him, "did Lori or Dad tell you that we're still looking for Sophia? That he lied to you so that you wouldn't worry?" "Mom told me," he said nodding, "were you helping Daryl look for her?" "Yes I was," I said nodding, "we found a place she could've been hiding in. Everyone's going to look for her tomorrow. Hopefully we'll find her tomorrow." "Will you be helping them," he asked.

" _Nope_ ," I said shaking my head, "Dad's making me stay here. Which means you get me all to yourself." I poked his nose lightly as I said that and smiled as he started laughing. I watched as his eyes began to grow heavy again before combing my fingers through his hair once more. "Get some more sleep," I whispered, "I'll be here right beside you all night. I'm not going anywhere now." "Okay," he mumbled before closing his eyes and almost _instantly_ falling asleep beside me with his head resting against my shoulder while my arm was wrapped around him. I smiled down at my little brother who was basically my whole world, even if me and his mom don't get along most times. I'd give _anything_ to keep Carl safe and to keep him happy.

I was just beginning to doze off when there was a knock at the room door. Opening my eyes and looking over, I spotted Maggie standing in the doorway. "Hey sorry," she said walking in, "did I wake you?" "Not really," I said smiling as I sat up a bit more so that I was leaning against the headboard without waking Carl who was still fast asleep, "what's up Maggie?" "I wanted to talk to you about your friend," she said, "Glenn." "What about Glenn," I asked as my curiosity got the better of me as she walked into the room and sat down on the chair near the bed. "You and him aren't like together or anything," she asked looking at me, a look of worry seemed to be on her face. " _No_ ," I said laughing, "Glenn is basically my best friend. Why do you ask Maggie?"

"Oh no reason," she said trying to pull off a smile but I wasn't buying it. " _Maggie_ ," I said smiling at her and leaning forwards, "you like him don't you?" " _No_ ," she said quickly, too quickly to actually mean it causing my smile to grow. But before I could say anything else, she was looking away from me with a blush beginning to cover her cheeks. "Maggie did you and Glenn," I started asking but trailed off before glancing down at Carl when I remembered he was in there with us sound asleep. When I looked back up to her, the blush on her face had intensified and the look in her eyes said it all.

"Oh my God _when_ ," I asked as a smiled formed on my face. I was overjoyed that Glenn found someone honestly. "Today," she whispered as she looked around, I guess looking for her dad. "You dad doesn't know does he," I asked as she quickly looked back at me. "No," she said shaking her head, "and he'd be furious too because he thinks y'all will be heading on your way after you and Carl get better and after y'all find that little girl." I looked down at my lap and nodded. I figured we would be and I didn't like that idea when I was getting used to the idea of calling Maggie here a friend. "Maybe if we leave," I said looking up at her, "Glenn will get to stay behind to be with you." She smiled weakly at me before getting to her feet and walking out the door, putting an end to the conversation right there.


	23. More Organized

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I managed to sleep the whole night after that, waking just as the sun was coming over the horizon. Climbing out of bed, careful not to wake Carl in the process, I slipped out of the room and then outside to see a group of people standing around Carol's Cherokee. Figuring I'd get some clothes out of the RV anyway, I made my way over to the group to see who all was going out to look and about how long they thought they'd be before they got back. "Good morning," I said smiling at Glenn as I made my way over to the group and he was the first person I came to. "'Morning," he said before looking down to my leg, "I see you're not limping as bad anymore." "Yeah," I said grinning, "I guess that walk in the woods with Daryl yesterday really helped. You going out with the group today?" "No I'm going to stay in camp," he said shaking his head. Nodding, I continued on to the Cherokee to where Dad was and smiled at him.

"Good morning Daddy," I said smiling as I wrapped my good arm around him for a hug which he returned looking down at me. "I thought I told you that you were to remain in bed today," he said looking down at me with a playful glare. "I will," I said smiling sweetly up at him, "but I need to change into some clean clothes and all my clothes are still in the RV. _So_ I thought I'd come see what the plan was for y'all to search for Sophia." He nodded once before turning his attention back to everyone surrounding the car. It was my dad, Shane, T-Dog, Andrea, and as I was gingerly pulling my red mess of hair back into a messy ponytail, Daryl came to stand by the car as he pulled on a flannel shirt. I looked over at Daryl for a second and smiled at him when I noticed his eyes were on me before I quickly looked away and tuned back in to Dad as he began talking.

"Alright everyone's getting new search grids today," he said as he looked around at everyone surrounding the Cherokee while I stood back and listened, "if she made it as far as the farmhouse that Daryl and Kathryn found yesterday, she might have gone farther east than we've been so far." "I'd like to help," a boy said, maybe a year younger than me, from behind me causing us all to look over at him. I hadn't seen him but maybe once or twice since we've been here, so I knew that made him one of Hershel's people but I wasn't sure letting him join our search was a good idea. "I know the area pretty well," he continued as he walked slowly over towards those of us standing by the car. "Hershel's okay with this," Dad asked skeptically as he looked at the boy. "Yeah," he said quickly, "yeah. He said I should ask _you_."

I made a face at the boy as Dad thanked him for offering to help us, something seemed off about what that boy said. I don't _really_ believe Hershel would allow him to help total strangers look for a missing girl, even if he _did_ help our group with me and my brother being shot. "Nothing about what Daryl and Kathryn found screams _Sophia_ to me," Shane said causing everyone's attention to turn towards him, me glaring actually. "You weren't _there_ ," I said as Dad placed his hand lightly on my uninjured shoulder while Shane continued on. "Anybody could've been holed up in that farmhouse," he said as my glare darkened. "Anybody includes _her_ ," Andrea asked, "right?" At least she was taking what Daryl and I said seriously unlike my Dad's own best friend who _knows_ I wouldn't lie about something like this.

**DARYL'S POV**

"Whoever slept in that cupboard was no bigger than," I said before moving my hand to about the height the person would've been to fit in the cupboard we found, "yay-high." "Good lead," Andrea said looking at me as I looked around at the others. "Maybe we'll pick up her trail again," Rick said from beside his daughter, his hand still on her good shoulder while she still looked ready to murder Shane with just her looks alone. "No maybe about it," I said before looking at the map, "I'm gonna borrow a horse, head up to this ridge right there, take a bird's-eye view of the whole grid. If she's out there somewhere I'll spot her." I watch as Kathryn turned her attention to me with a smile on her face while her dad nodded his approval.

"Maybe you'll see your chupacabra up there too," T-Dog said with a raised brow. " _Chupacabra_ ," Rick said looking over, sounding interested while his daughter looked to be biting back a laugh. "You never heard this," Dale asked from the other side of me as we all looked to him, "our first night in camp, Daryl tells us this whole thing reminds him of that time he went squirrel hunting and he saw a _chupacabra_." I heard someone let out a laugh and looked over expecting it to have been Kathryn as she seemed to have been holding one back but it was that boy instead. "What are you braying at jackass," I asked causing him to sober up some. "So," he said, "you believe in a blood sucking dog?" "You believe in the dead people walking around and trying to eat you," Kathryn asked as I watched her place her hands on her hips to eye him, daring him to tell her he didn't.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I peered over at Daryl when it got quiet, and the boy decided he wasn't going to challenge me on what I said to him, seeing that Daryl had a smile on his face as if what I said to the guy was funny. "Hey," Dad said snapping my attention away from Daryl to see the guy was reaching for the rifle on the hood, "you ever fire one before?" "Well if I'm going out I want one," he said causing me to roll my eyes. Just because you want one doesn't mean you can get one if you don't know how to safely use it. "Yeah," Daryl said as he placed his crossbow on his shoulder, "and people in hell want Slurpees." I smiled as Daryl walked off, probably to go get a horse like he said. The talking around me seemed to continue after that, so I decided to sneak away, maybe go to the stable where Daryl was headed to get that horse.

I had the slightest of limps every couple of steps and was glad my leg wasn't hurting anymore, but it still took me a few minutes longer to get to the stable had my leg not been injured. When I finally made it to the stable and walked in, Daryl was in one of the stalls and placing a saddle on the horse's back. "Get in trouble with your ol' man last night," he asked glancing up for only a second at me before looking back to what he was doing. "No," I said shaking my head as I moved to stand by the entrance of the stall he was in, "but me and the _evil step-mother_ had it out when I got back into the Greene's house." " _Evil step-mother_ ," he said nodding with a smirk on his face before looking over at me, "that's a good one. You and her really don't get along do you?"

"We have our moments when we'll get along," I said shrugging and looking away, "but at the end of the day, we're _always_ back at each other's throats." "What happened to your _real_ mom," he asked causing me to snap my head back to him to see he was walking out of the stall and leading the horse with him so I moved out of the way. "Don't know," I said, "she left when I was about 4 or 5. Dad didn't tell me why, just that she was gone. And for a while she'd call and check up on me but when I turned 13 she stopped calling altogether. I wonder if she's still out there, alive in this world." "If she's as strong willed and stubborn as you are," Daryl said as he climbed up on the horse once we were out of the stable, "then I'm sure she is somewhere." After that he rode off, leaving me standing there with a blush on my face. Did _Daryl Dixon_ just give me some sort of weird compliment?


	24. Walker

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I made my way back to the Greene’s house after detouring to the RV for my change of clothes when I spied Glenn talking with Maggie on the porch by the front door. “But you’re thinking about it,” I heard Glenn say as I came to a stop by the steps and watched while shaking my head, “you _should_.” I watched as Maggie gave him this _are you serious_ look before she walked down the stairs by me and kept on. “You did _not_ just seriously tell her that,” I said walking up the steps with a smile on my face while Glenn went back to sitting in one of the rockers he had been in before Maggie walked out of the house. “Were you listening to what was just talked about between me and Maggie,” he asked looking over at me with a blush on his face. “No,” I said shaking my head, “but I did hear the last bit. Besides Maggie kind of already told me about what happen between you two.”

“What,” he asked as his face seemed to turn as red as a tomato, “ _when_?” “Well she didn’t _exactly_ tell me in words but I could guess from her actions last night when she came to talk to me about _you_ ,” I said smiling as I took a seat in the rocker beside his, “we didn’t say it because my little brother was sound asleep beside me at the time and the last thing we needed was for him to wake up and hear _that_ conversation.” He looked at me and nodded before looking down to the guitar in his hands. “I’m going in to see if it’s okay for me to get a shower then my butt has to go back to bed with Carl,” I said after a few minutes, “and Glenn, try not to be so cocky next time with Maggie. It’s a real turn off if you don’t know _when_ the right time for the cockiness is.” I smiled at him once before I walked into the house to look for Hershel or Patricia to see if it’d be okay for me to shower.

I walked around once inside the house before spotting Hershel standing in the kitchen. “Excuse me,” I said walking up to him, “Mr. Greene I was wondering if it’d be okay for me to get a shower with these stitches in my shoulder and leg.” “I think it should be alright,” he said looking at me, “just be careful when you do.” “Okay,” I said nodding before I made my way up the stairs to the bathroom to get a quick shower. I had just turned on the water and was letting it warm up when there was a knock at the door. Confused, I turned my attention to the door just as it opened and Maggie’s head peered in. “Hey,” she said smiling at me, “Dad said you were going to try and take a shower and said I should see if you needed any help.” “Thanks,” I said feeling relieved as she smiled and walked in, closing the door behind her.

She gingerly helped me pull my shirt off over my head before allowing me to pull my own shorts and underwear off. “Leave the gauze on while you shower,” she said as I looked over my shoulder at her, “we can change it after you get out.” “Okay,” I said nodding before climbing into the shower and soaking in the nice warm water. “So your step-mom and Carol are in the kitchen cooking,” she said after a few minutes while I cautiously washed my hair so I didn’t injure my shoulder any more than it already was, “said something about cooking supper for us tonight as a thank you for helping you and Carl. Are you going to help them cook?” “No I think my dad would have my ass if I was on my feet more than need be,” I said laughing, “he told me to stay in bed today after I snuck out yesterday to help Daryl look for Sophia.”

She nodded at my response before I climbed into the now warm shower and began carefully cleaning all the grim and dirt off my body. It felt _amazing_ taking a warm shower again and I was going to miss doing this when we had to leave the farm after Carl and I were healed and fit for travel and when we find Sophia. I made the shower quick, hopping back out after I was sure I was clean. I pulled on my bra and underwear before pulling my shorts on and turning to Maggie who was still in the room with me. She sat me down on the toilet as she carefully pulled the bandages off my shoulder, checking to make sure they didn’t need cleaning right now, before placing clean ones over the stitches. She repeated the process with my leg before allowing me to pull my tank top on and for us to head out of the room.

We split ways after getting back down stairs, her going to bring more tables and chairs in for the rest of us while I went outside to sit on the porch. Lori and Carol were already in the kitchen working on supper as I sat down outside, glancing around to see who all was back, who was still out looking, and if _anyone_ had found Sophia while I was inside. I was sitting there in the rocker for a moment or two when I saw Dad walking by the front of the house. “Daddy,” I called out from where I sat, causing him to turn his attention to me as soon as he heard my voice. “Shouldn’t you be laying in bed resting,” he asked smiling up at me as he walked to the steps. “I’m tired of just _laying_ there,” I said looking at him, “and I just got out of the shower. Can I _please_ come down there to the rest of the camp, at least until Daryl gets back? I think he’s the only one we’re missing.”

**RICK’S POV**

I smiled up at Kathryn before shaking my head and holding my hand out to her. “C’mon then,” I said as she smiled and made her way down to where I was standing, “there’s a swing by the RV, you can sit there and wait for Daryl to come back so you can see if he’s got Sophia with him.” She smiled up at me as I gently wrapped my arm around her shoulders before leading her over to the swing I mentioned. When we got to the swing next to the RV, she sat down and moments later Glenn walked out and sat beside her. “Keep her in line there Glenn,” I said to the boy and he nodded and laughed before I turned around and began heading to where some of the others were standing around as we waited. I glanced back as I heard Kathryn and Glenn talking, a smile on her face as she shook her head at whatever he had said or asked her, before I glanced up to see Andrea up on top of the RV with Dale’s rifle in hand.

**GLENN’S POV**

“So you’re telling me that there’s _no one_ in camp that you seem to like at all,” I asked smiling as a blush appeared on Kathryn’s face. “No,” she said laughing as she shook her head and smiled trying to play it off like it was a joke. “Kathryn,” I said looking at her, “I saw the way you’d always look over at Daryl in the camp back in Atlanta when you thought no one was looking. And since we left that camp, you’ve been around him more and more.” “It’s _nothing_ Glenn,” she said rolling her eyes, “I’ve just been helping to look for Sophia. You know that.” I opened my mouth to say something but was immediately cut off by Andrea shouting from atop the RV. “Walker,” she shouted out as I looked over to her startled to see her stand to her feet, “ _walker_!” Kathryn and I both looked to the field she was looking out at before I turned my attention to her.

“Stay here,” I said standing up and walking to get something as Rick walked by me. “Just the one,” I heard him ask as I grabbed a weapon before running back to where they were. Kathryn was standing by her dad by the time I reached them again. “I bet I could hit it from here,” Andrea said as I watched Rick look up at her. “No,” he said, “no Andrea. Put the gun down.” “You’d best let us handle this,” Shane said walking up behind us causing Kathryn and I to look back at him along with Rick. “Shane hold up,” Rick said, “Hershel wants to deal with walkers.” “What for man,” Shane asked walking right on by, “we got this covered.” “Damn it,” I heard Rick say as I went to walk off, “Kathryn stay _here_ by the RV.”

**KATHRYN’S POV**

“ _No_ ,” I said before running after Shane and T-Dog, Glenn right beside me as I kept pace with the men. I could hear the agitation in my dad’s voice as he called after me. I glanced back at him once as I continued to run, him running after us with his Python in hand. It didn’t take him long to catch up to us, and when we were a little closer to the walker that was spotted, he sped up his pace along with Glenn. “ _Shit_ ,” I heard him shout before he glanced at me as they came to a stop around the walker and I slowed my pace. I still hadn’t seen the walker’s face yet when I heard Glenn’s next question. “Is that _Daryl_ ,” he asked as I froze in my spot. “Glenn get her out of here,” my dad shouted as he looked to the walker before he looked to Glenn and finally me, “ _now_!” Glenn ran back to me, grabbing ahold of me around my stomach to pull me away as I finally caught a glimpse. “ _No_ ,” I shouted as I saw the face of the person I had been waiting for while my dad pointed his gun to his head.


	25. Worried

**DARYL'S POV**

I stood there, glaring Rick down for having that gun of his in my face again before I turned my eyes to Kathryn as she struggled in the Chinaman's arms with her eyes locked on me. This was all basically in a split second as he continued to try and drag her away while she kept screaming, and a closer look before I turned back to her dad revealed that she was crying, thinking I was _dead_ in a sense and it baffled me that she would cry when we haven't said more than a couple words here and there since this whole damn thing started. I turned my attention back to her dad, glaring at him as I swayed slightly from the blood loss before I opened my mouth to speak. "That's the third time you pointed that _thing_ at my head," I said as I watched everyone look around at each other confused, "you gonna pull the trigger or what?"

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I think I felt myself decompress in Glenn's arms the second I heard Daryl's voice. I watched as Dad lowered his gun before he turned to look at me. I was basically using Glenn for support, relief just flooding me now that I knew Daryl wasn't dead. But that moment of relief was shattered by the sound of a single gunshot going off just before I watched Daryl fall to the ground. "No," I heard my dad shout out as my legs gave out on me and I basically hung limply in Glenn's arms, tears flowing fully now as my dad and the other ran towards Daryl. "No," I whispered shaking my head, "no, no, no, no, no." "Glenn get Kathryn out of here _now_ ," I heard my dad shout, but my attention was solely on Daryl as he laid on the ground at everyone's feet while I felt Glenn begin to tug me backwards.

I didn't fight Glenn as he dragged me away from the scene, I just let him take me as I kept replaying the moment when Daryl hit the ground from the gunshot. I didn't even realize where Glenn took me until he sat me down on the swing we had been occupying before Andrea shouted out about a walker. "Hey," he whispered as he knelt down in front of me trying to get me to look at him but I just looked off into space before he placed his hands on my cheeks, "look at me Kathryn. Everything's going to be okay." I looked away and past him as Dad and Shane, along with the rest, walked up with Daryl in their arms unconscious as they dragged him towards the Greene's house. I watched as they disappeared inside before Glenn tried to grab my attention again.

"Kathryn," he said causing my eyes to look back to him, "Daryl's going to be okay. Hershel will have a look at him and he'll be alright." My eyes darted back towards the Greene's front door before I jumped up from the swing, startling Glenn from my sudden movement, and running for the door to the house. I bolted up the front steps and jerked the front screen open before moving inside, looking around and listening for any sign of movement that would signal to me where they took Daryl. I heard movement down the hall, on the other side of the stairs leading up. Moving quickly, I walked towards the sound of the noise and finding Shane, Dad, and Hershel in a room surrounding a bed. I stopped just in the hallway before my Dad looked up and spotted me. Hershel turned his attention behind him as he had his back to me, and closed the door upon seeing me standing there.

Letting out a sigh, I looked around the small hallway before sitting on the floor beside the door that led into the room that I was now shut out of. I sat there, my knees up to my chest and my arms wrapped around them with my chin just resting on my kneecaps, waiting for them to come out and say he'd be okay. I looked up at the sound of footsteps, only to be greeted with the sight of my step-mother. Looking away from her, I focused back on the wall in front of me as she sat down on the floor on the other side of the door, near the opening to the small hallway. It was quiet between us out there, both of us just in our own little worlds as we waited, before we heard the sound of the room door opening with Dad walking out first.

**RICK'S POV**

I walked out of the room after having a word with Daryl, Lori jumping up to greet me first before her attention turned down to the floor just to my left. Following her eyesight as I moved out of the way for Hershel and Shane to follow out of the room, I spotted Kathryn sitting there on the floor looking up at me. "You can go in if you want," I said nodding towards Daryl's room before I looked back to Lori. I watched as Hershel passed me before I looked one last time at Kathryn as she stood to her feet, nervously looking towards the room Daryl was in. Seeing Shane walk up behind me, I moved on, heading into the rest of the house to find the others who knew about Daryl finding Sophia's doll so I could tell them what he told us.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I watched from where I stood by the door as Dad and Hershel walked off. Moments later Shane and Lori began walking off but stopped a short ways away. As I went to enter the room, standing just in the threshold of the room, I could hear whispered voices. Shane's and Lori's voices to be _exact_. Turning my head slightly, I waited and listened to hear what they had to say that they didn't want others to hear. "Rick needs to put his foot down with Kathryn," I heard Shane say and causing me to furrow my brow in confusion as he continued, "she was out there on that field when we all thought Daryl was a _walker_." "You tell him then," Lori replied to him, "he's your best friend and you've known Kathryn longer than I have." "But it's your job to play the dutiful wife to Rick," Shane whispered harshly, "you have to tell him that kid has a school girl's crush on a man old enough to be her own damn father."

I felt my cheeks reddening as I continued to listen to the two who were unaware that the person they were discussing was listening in. "What are you talking about Shane," I heard Lori ask and I could almost guarantee that if I had been looking at her then her face would've held the same confusion as did her voice. "That girl has disappeared _twice_ with Daryl," Shane said, "and let's not forget where she slept at the CDC. You did not _see_ her face out there on that field, you did not _see_ her reaction to thinking Daryl was a _walker_." Deciding I had gotten enough of an earful, I walked into Daryl's room and stopped right on the inside of the doorway as I looked at where he was laying on his back, eyes closed as he held on hand up to his head where Andrea had shot him thinking he was a walker.

My tears from earlier had dried up back while I was being dragged away by Glenn when Daryl got shot, but now as I stood there in his doorway and was looking at him, I could feel them coming back but not spilling over exactly. I guess I looked down to my feet, not knowing if I should even say anything or be in there, before I heard a voice. "Never seen nobody cry over me before," the gruff voice said, causing my head to shoot up to look over at Daryl to see he turned his head slightly and was peering at me with his blue eyes. "Yeah well you're my friend," I said looking down and over at where he lay, "and I was worried about you when you came stumbling out of those woods acting almost like a walker."

I had managed to look down again as I was speaking, but I quickly looked back up again at the sound of a scoff coming from the direction of the bed at my words. "Ya makin' it sound like I was dead on that field," he said, closing his eyes as he continued to put pressure on his head wound. "That's because I thought you were," I whispered out, not finding strength in my voice after the comments I heard from Lori and Shane in the hallway to fully voice what I meant. I guess he didn't hear me, or just didn't want to acknowledge what I said because the conversation seemed to die down. "How are you feeling anyway," I asked looking to my feet before peering up at him. I didn't think he was going to answer me before I finally heard him speak up. "I hurt like hell," he grumbled out quietly, "hurts worse when I move around." "I heard Hershel say you needed to get cleaned up," I said as I slowly peered up at him with just my eyes, "maybe I could try and help you some? Like you've helped me."


	26. Trusted

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I watched as this almost _angered_ look appeared on Daryl's face at my mention of helping him before he shouted at me. "You outta your damn mind," he shouted out and I could hear the clear anger in his voice, "I don't need no help from no one, and certainly not from a damn _kid_. Get the hell out of here." Realizing I had obviously crossed some kind of line with Daryl, I looked down to my feet and backed out of the room, knowing no good would come of it if I stayed and tried to argue that he needed help at some point in his life. Keeping my head down, I didn't even look up as the talking around me quieted when I passed through a room with people in it. I didn't stop, I knew that if Daryl shouted then they probably heard what he said. I just continued on my way out the door and to one of the rockers off to the side on the porch.

I sat down on the rocker, away from the door if anyone should come out, fighting back tears from the harshness of what he said. I wasn't going to cry, not over something so _stupid_ as that. Maybe Shane was right, maybe I _did_ have a school girl's crush on Daryl and just didn't realize it until now. I didn't realize my head was in my hands until I heard footsteps walk over towards where I sat. Looking up, I saw that it was Maggie who was walking over towards me. "Hey," she said quietly when she realized I was looking up at her now, "you okay?" "I'll be fine," I said, "I just let what was said get to me is all. Did you need something Maggie?" "Your father sent me to get you," she said looking at me, "dinner's ready." "Okay," I said nodding, "I'll be right in." She looked to me and nodded before turning and walked back inside.

As I looked around, I guess I was outside longer than I thought as it was already dark out. Standing to my feet, I took a deep breath before entering into the house and heading towards where the others were seated at the tables set up for everyone there. I walked up to the tables, my dad looking up at my entrance and smiling at me. "Kathryn before you sit down," he said motioning for me to come to where he stood, "would you mind taking this to Daryl so he eats too please." "Um," I said looking around before back to the plate and then him, "sure I guess." "Thank you," he said kissing the top of my head before handing me the plate." "I'll be right back," I said turning away and suddenly dreading this. After what Daryl said to me I was _positive_ he wouldn't want to see me again. But I told my dad I would and he's not really _aware_ of how much what Daryl said, if he heard it, hurt.

Slowly, with the plate of food in my hands, I made my way back to the room Daryl was in. Quietly I opened the door to find Daryl laying on his side with his back to me, his shirt still off. I tried to be quiet but I think a gasp escaped my lips when I saw the scars crisscrossing along his back. He quickly turned over, looking at me where I stood by the door, before pulling the blanket up to hide what I had just seen. Embarrassed, I looked away from him and down to the floor in front of me. "What do ya want," I heard him asked but I refused to lift my eyes. "I was asked to bring you some food," I said and moved the plate in my hand to where he could see it, "and I wanted to apologize for earlier. I was out of line for asking such a thing. I'm sorry."

**DARYL'S POV**

"Got nothing to be sorry for," I said after a few minutes of looking at her, seeing her not making any eye contact with me. "I won't bother you again Daryl," she whispered as she placed the plate of food down on the nightstand by the bed before turning to the door. "It wasn't _you_ Kathryn," I said as her hand rested on the doorknob and causing her to stop where she was, "you seem to be the only person to _care_ about me, but I just don't really liked to be _touched_ like that." I watched as she looking back to where I was laying, confusion on her face. "But _why_ ," she asked as her eyebrows scrunched together as she waited on me to answer the question.

"My ol' man," I said looking away from her, "after my mom died he started beating on me and Merle, but with me he left scars on my back from his whippings. I'm not used to someone wanting to care for me, only wanting to abuse me." "I'm sorry Daryl," she whispered as I watched her reaction, "I just wanted to help you, and yet now I feel like I was trying to force you to let me help you. I wasn't thinking about how you'd feel to it all. Like I said, I won't bother you any more Daryl. Good night." I watched as she turned back to the door before walking out of the room and closing it behind her.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

Talking to Daryl just now, even though apparently he revealed some big secret about himself to me that no one else in the group knows, I've still come to realize I'm nothing more than a nuisance to him. I stood by the door to his room a moment longer, wiping away the traitorous tears that were falling. The last thing I needed was to return to dinner with tears in my eyes. When I finally got the tears to stop, I wiped at the evidence and hoped no one could tell I had been crying, before I made my way back to the dining room with the others who were all eating in silence. I found my seat next to Glenn, joining him, Maggie, Beth, and Jimmy. Everyone else was at the longer table. Sitting down next to Glenn, I mustered up the best smile I could give him before turning my attention to the plate in front of me.

"Are you okay," Glenn asked peering over at me. Pursing my lips, I glanced over at him and nodded, still trying to give him my best smile. "I'm fine," I whispered hoping my voice didn't break and reveal the inner emotions I was fighting with at that point in time. I kept my eyes on my plate as I ate, but I could still feel Glenn's _and_ Maggie's eyes on me as they watched me like they were worried. "Excuse me," I said after I finished eating, clearing my plate before walking out of the kitchen and into the room I've been sharing with my little brother for the past couple of days I'd guess. I've lost track of how long it's been honestly, each day just seems to blur into the next one like it's a never ending day.

Climbing into the bed next to Carl, I got under the covers before wrapping my arm around him to bring him closer as I let my mind wander to the last few days that we've been here at the Greene's farm house. I let myself think about all the times I've _bothered_ Daryl, making him take me with him to find Sophia, not giving him the option really. It's a wonder he hasn't yelled at me more than he already has. I mean he did when we were in the woods and I almost got myself noticed by the walker when I basically told him regardless of his decision I was following him into the wood while I was still injured. But he hasn't yelled at me for constantly bothering him, and he's made sure I came back every time.

Honestly, the more I think about this all, the more confused I get. "I don't know what to do Carl," I whispered out, knowing he wasn't awake and couldn't answer me. I wasn't looking for an answer honestly. I just wanted to know why Daryl Dixon was making me feel so _confused_ right now. Why he was treating _me_ so differently than the others in our group. For weeks I watched him keep his distance from everyone with his brother Merle. Hell I even _threatened_ him when he tried to attack my dad that first night my family found out he was still alive. Yet he keeps treating me like this, like he doesn't mind me being around so much.

But then again, I could just be letting my feeling interpret what's going on instead of actually _thinking_ of what it could be. I felt Carl stir slightly beside me, causing me to look down at him as he nestled in closer to my side. I smiled down at him as I pulled my arm around him tighter, holding him close to me. I may not like Lori even on one of our _better_ days, but that didn't mean I didn't love my little brother to death and would do anything for him. Finally feeling the tugs of exhaustion pulling at my consciousness, I settled into the bed next to my brother with my arm still wrapped around him as I allowed my eyes to drift closed and for sleep to finally take over, whisking me off into a dreamless sleep.


	27. The Barn

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I've kept my distance from Daryl, since the whole incident in the bedroom when I tried to offer him some help just to be nice. I really did feel like I crossed a line with what I asked, and I thought it best if I just stayed away. Carl and I have moved out of the Greene's house and are sharing a tent near Dad's and Lori's tent. I've kept to myself in the day between when Daryl called me a _kid_ and now, and I think Glenn's caught on to that. Carl got up early this morning, and I guess he was already with Dad and his mom because the tent was empty other than for myself. Walking out after getting dressed, I was pulling my hair back into a ponytail when Glenn popped up in front of me. "Hey," he said smiling at me as I gave him a weak smile in return.

"Hi," I said giving him a suspicious look, "what can I do for you Glenn?" "So you remember when I was walking around yesterday with that basket of fruit and jerky," he asked looking over at me with a smile. "Yes," I said giving him a now confused look, " _why_?" "Well," he said, "I made a stop by Daryl's tent, to give him some if he wanted any. And he asked about _you_." " _Me_ ," I asked coming to a stop before we got near the prying ears, "why did he ask you about _me_?" "I don't know," he said shrugging his shoulders, "he asked where you were. Said he hadn't seen you and he was wondering what had happened to you. I think he likes your company." "Yeah I doubt that," I said laughing and shaking my head before continuing on to the rest of the group to eat breakfast.

He let the topic die as we joined the others, said our _good morning_ s and got some food to eat. I sat down next to Glenn as we ate on our powdered eggs, Carl smiling over at me from beside his mom once I was seated. I returned the smile before looking to my plate in my hands. When I happened to glance up as I was about to take a bite, wouldn't you know it I was sitting directly across from Daryl. Remembering what Glenn had said, I looked back down to my plate just as Daryl seemed to glance my way, while the memory of what was just said caused a blush to rise to my cheeks while I tried focusing on the food in front of me. I glanced over at Glenn at one point, only to see him looking towards the Greene's house where Maggie stood before looking over to Dale. His eyes landed on mine and he just gave me a shake of his head before he stood to his feet.

**DARYL'S POV**

I watched as Kathryn joined the group with Glenn, her eyes looking at everyone else in the group but at me and I guess I deserved that after what I said to her before she brought me food. I asked the Chinaman yesterday where she was because I hadn't seen her since, but to know she was okay at least helped even if she _was_ avoiding me which I couldn't blame her for. I felt eyes on me and when I looked up, she was looking down quickly to her plate. I kept watching as she turned her attention to Glenn beside her just before he stood to his feet and walked around until coming to a stop where he could get everyone's attention. "Um guys," he said after a minute or two and gaining everyone's attention, "so, um, the barn's full of walkers." Everyone literally stopped what they were doing in the split second those words came out of his mouth and just stared at him.

We all got to our feet, and made our way calmly but quickly to where the barn was located. I watched in silence with everyone else as Shane peered through the crack in the barn door. I glanced over at Kathryn, where she stood next to Glenn with her arms wrapped around herself, just under her chest. Like she felt my eyes on her, she looked over at where I stood before quickly looking back towards the barn door and then down at her feet. I looked back to Shane as he was making his way from the barn door towards where Rick was standing. "You _cannot_ tell me you're alright with this," he said as he walked up to Rick, almost like the thought Rick _knew_ about the walkers in the barn but still let us stay here. "No I'm _not_ ," Rick said turning to glare at Shane, "but we're guests here. This isn't our land."

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"God this is our _lives_ ," Shane shouted as he pushed by Dad. "Keep your voices down," Glenn said from beside me before looking over his shoulder back towards the Greene's house. I watched as everyone seemed to talk at once, besides Daryl of course but I don't think he really liked talking with this group anyhow. Shane was pacing by now as he talked to my dad about the situation at hand. "We've either got to go in there," Shane said, "we've got to make things right or we've just got to go." "We're not leaving without finding Sophia," I said stepping forwards away from beside Glenn as I spoke, causing everyone to turn and look at me. I watched as Shane looked at me then looked behind him where Carol was standing, placing his hands up to cover his nose and mouth like he thought we were being stupid for wanting to stay and look for that little girl.

"Okay," Shane said lowering his hands as he moved so he could look from Carol to me and then back to her, "okay, I think it's time we _all_ just start to _consider_ the other possibility." "How can you _say_ that," I asked shaking my head looking up at him. "I'm _close_ to finding that little girl," Daryl said taking a step forward to grab Shane's attention, "I found her damn doll a couple days ago." "That's what you found Daryl," Shane said, "a _doll_." " _Shane_ ," I said stepping forward again, "Daryl and I found that shack with the pallet in the bottom of the cupboard. And then Daryl finds her _doll_ not even a _day_ later. We're so _close_ to finding her and now you just want to give up and say it's a lost cause? What the hell is wrong with you?! I know for a _fact_ if it was me out there and I was her age, you wouldn't _let_ my dad give up looking for me so what makes Sophia any _different_?!"

"You knew how to handle yourself alone at her age," Shane growled as I watched Dad and Daryl and just about everyone else glare at Shane as he glared at me, " _that's_ what makes her different. We would know for a _fact_ that you'd still be alive out there! For all we know Sophia is _dead_ and we're just wasting time looking for a body." "You don't know what the hell you're talking about," I shouted just as I went to lung for Shane but a pair of arm wrapped themselves around my waist, stopping me. "Glenn get her out of here," Dad said looking behind me. When I looked back, it was _Glenn_ who was holding me back from beating the shit out of Shane, or trying to at least. "Glenn I said get her out of here," Dad repeated when we were still standing there. Finally I felt Glenn tugging me away from them, taking me back up to our camp and sitting me down outside mine and Carl's tent where I could still see our group in front of the Greene's barn.

**GLENN'S POV**

I sat with Kathryn as she bent forward in her seat with her arms resting on her legs as she looked to be trying to calm down. I could tell from where I was that she was pissed off enough with what Shane had said to wind up shaking from the anger as she glared at Shane from where we sat. "I wouldn't advise it Glenn," she said when I stood and went to wrap my arms around her shoulders in an attempt to calm her down. I watched as she began bouncing her right leg rapidly as she continued to glare down at the others. In that next second, I could hear shouting coming from the group down by the barn and when I looked, Daryl looked to be going after Shane while the others tried to stop him.

I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and looked over in time to see Kathryn jump to her feet and start to run towards the group, no doubt to try and help Daryl fight Shane. "Kathryn _no_ ," I shouted as I grabbed her around her waist again before she could get too far. "Glenn let me _go_ ," she shouted as she fought against me. "No," I said, "you're dad said to get you away from them. You need to cool off before you end up hurting someone." "Only person I'm going to hurt is _Shane_ ," she growled out as I tightened my grip around her. "I can't let you do that Kathryn," I said as I felt her ease up in my arms, "I'm sorry. Why don't we go for a walk to help you cool down. Get away from _everyone_ here while they try to sort out this problem." She nodded before I lifted my hands up to her shoulders and turned her around, leading her _away_ from the Greene's infested barn and away from the brewing drama in front of it.


	28. Barn Showdown

**KATHRYN'S POV**

Glenn kept me away for most of the day. Just walking around, not saying a word. I was still very pissed with Shane for trying to say that Sophia was dead and we should just give up the search for her. Glenn and I found this small pond not too far from the Greene's house, it even had a dock to it so I knew they probably came down here to swim back when the world was in better shape and our dead weren't walking around trying to eat us alive. We walked out onto the dock and sat down, taking our shoes and socks off before placing our feet into the cool water. It was so quiet where we were, I didn't have to worry about the walkers that were in the barn, and I didn't have to think about anything other than trying to relax and calm down from the earlier events.

We stayed there until Glenn decided it was time for us to head back to the farm house with the rest of our group. By the time we got back, Shane had the bag of guns and was spouting off bullshit to the group saying we needed to _protect_ ourselves and eliminate the problem in the barn. I stood next to Glenn as we came up to the Greene's front porch, watching as Shane handed out the guns he had with him. Everything seemed to happen so fast around me as I watched in disbelief. In the next few seconds, everyone was staring behind me and Glenn before Shane took off running in that direction. When I turned around to look, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I ran with everyone, trailing behind them actually, as I watched my Dad, Hershel, and Jimmy lead two of those walkers to the barn. I stood back, Lori and Carl coming to stand beside me, as we watched Shane shouting with Dad about the walkers and shooting them to try and make Hershel see what was right in front of him. Everything happened so fast after Shane shot the walker Hershel had in the head before walking away from where he knelt on the ground to stand near that barn. " _Enough_ ," he shouted, "risking our lives for a little girl who's _gone_!" I wrapped my arms around Carl's shoulders as he stood in front of me, my fingers lightly balling up the fabric of his shirt at the top as I felt tears slip down my cheeks as Shane continued to shout before he turned towards the barn.

I tightened my grip on Carl as Shane broke the lock on the barn door before throwing away the wooden beam that was across it. I watched in panic as he beat on the door before walking away from it to stand back next to Dad and drawing his gun. I pulled Carl behind me the second the first walker stumbled out of the door. As more came out, the sound of gunfire filled the air as one by one the walkers were shot before they could reach us. I watched Shane turn to look at Dad before putting a bullet in the brain of the walker that he had a hold of. "Daddy," I cried as I ran to him, Carl right behind me before he held his hand out and stared at me. "No stay back," he shouted causing me and Carl to skid in the dirt to stop behind me.

I looked behind me as Carl fell to the ground from the slide while I merely stumbled a moment. I glanced up to see Lori come running before collapsing on the ground behind Carl as we watched the scene before us unfold. "Dad," I whispered out as it went quiet, taking a step towards him as the last walker fell to the ground and the gunfire ceased. I watched as Daryl, Glenn, T-Dog, Andrea, and Shane all lowered their weapons as the last walker stopped moving. I looked from my dad to the others as I gauged the reaction of everyone to the events, but more importantly sent glares at Shane for his stupidity in doing this to begin with.

**RICK'S POV**

I stared at Shane, trying to figure out what in him finally _snapped_ to cause him to act so irrationally. Looking behind me for a second, I saw Lori and Carl sitting on the ground looking at the mess before us, while Kathryn stood on her feet with her eyes glued to the barn doors. I caught her eye after she finally looked away, _fear_ clearly there as she stared at me. The sound of growling however, broker her stare before she turned her eyes back to the barn, her face paling at whatever she was seeing behind me. Turning to look myself, I saw the reason for her fallen face. There, walking out of the barn doors and growling, was Sophia. "Sophia," I heard Carol cry out before she went running past, straight for the walker that was once her own daughter and only being stopped by Daryl as he dropped the rifle that had been in his hands.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I felt my knees weaken under me before I hit the ground seconds after Daryl and Carol had when he stopped her from running to Sophia. A sob left my throat as I stared at the little girl we all tried so _hard_ to find. I could feel the tears flowing down from my eyes as I stared at the little girl as I sat on my knees, my palms flat against the dirt beneath me. I was heartbroken, and I could only _imagine_ how Carol felt. I thought we would find her safe. I believed so much that we would. But here she was, this whole time, in that barn with the other walkers. The tears fell harder as my sobs got louder, my vision beginning to blur as I lowered my head down to rest on my arms as I crossed them in front of me and dug my nails into the dirt. The sound of a sudden gunshot causing me to jump as it broke the silence before the sound of a small thud reached my ears.

"Kathryn," I heard the small voice of my little brother mutter out through tears of his own before I heard crawling headed for where I lay on the ground. Lifting my head up and looking back at him, I wrapped my arms tightly around him as I placed his head under my chin and looked over towards Dad, seeing that he was the one who finally shot Sophia and put her body to its final rest. I looked over to Carol and Daryl as I held on tightly to Carl, watching her cry over the loss of her daughter. "C'mon," I whispered to Carl before I stood to my feet, pulling him with me and then wrapping my arms back around his shoulders to lead him away. I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see Lori following behind, tears running down her own cheeks from the loss of the little girl who was part of our group, our _family_.

I sat on the porch to the Greene's home. I wasn't going to the funeral. I've done cried enough tears just seeing that little girl walk out of the barn. To watch her be placed in the ground would make this all the more real. Carl left with Lori to be with the others for it, but everyone left me be. I guess they noticed the vacant expression that I'm sure was present on my face at that point in time. So I just sat there, on one of their rockers, with my knees up to my chest and my arms wrapped tightly around them while resting my chin on top. I could see off in the distance as they gathered around where we were burying Sophia and the Greene's loved ones, but that was as much as I wanted to see. I never was one for funerals, even back before the world went to hell.


	29. Lori

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"Hey sweetie," I heard my father's voice before he moved into my line of sight. It was getting closer to night fall but everyone around me was moving around and looking for something. I lifted my eyes up, that being about the only thing that moved since I sat down on that rocker. "I'm going into town with Glenn to look for Hershel," he said placing his hand on my cheek as he knelt down in front of where I sat, "snap out of it okay? Where's my strong girl at?" I couldn't help by smile lightly at him as I watched a smile of his own cross his features. The sound of the screen door opening caused me to look over just in time to see Maggie and Glenn walk out before I turned my attention back to Dad. "There's my girl," he said as his thumb brushed across my cheek, "why don't you go keep Carl company while I'm gone."

I nodded my head before he pulled away and walked down the stairs of the Greene's porch with Glenn right behind him. I watched them drive off before I finally moved from my spot on the porch, going to look for Carl to keep him company like Dad asked. By the time it got dark out, Dad and Glenn still weren't back with Hershel but I figured they'd be back anytime now. I was in the house with some of the others in our group, standing next to Carl by the table as Shane and Andrea walked into the house. "They should've been back by now," she said as they walked towards the table. "They probably just got holed up somewhere," Shane said as we took our seats around the table, me sitting between Carl and T-Dog as the others found a spot.

"Lori dinner," Carol said, heading towards the room Carl had been staying in. "She's not in there," Maggie said turning around in her seat to look at the older woman. "Where is she," Dale asked before I heard Shane speak up next. "Carl when's the last time you saw your mom," he asked as all eyes turned to my brother beside me. "This afternoon," Carl said beside me before Andrea spoke. "She was worried about Rick," she said, "asked me to look in on Carl." "She went after them," Dale asked as soon as Andrea said that. "She didn't say that," Andrea said while Shane jumped up from his seat as everyone began running around looking for Lori while I stood with Carl to keep an eye on him, my hands resting on his shoulders as I could feel his worry about his mother.

We made our way outside as everyone looked around. "She's not at the barn," Shane said walking up to the group. "She's not in the yards," T-Dog said after before I spotted Carol running up to us. "She asked Daryl to go into town," she said as she came to a stop by us, "must've gone herself." I heard Carl whimper beside me before I turned to him, wrapping my arms around him. "Hey it's okay," I said holding him tightly as he buried his head in my stomach while I watched Shane storm off from the group and over towards the car he found on the highway when we had been searching for Sophia. I watched as he started spinning tires as he pulled away from where he parked, heading out to look for Lori.

"C'mon," I whispered to Carl, "let's go wait on the steps okay?" I felt him nod his head as I placed my arm around his shoulders before leading him away and over to the steps were we sat down and waited for everyone to make it back. I don't know how long we sat there before I saw headlights pulling up. "Carl wait here," I said as I walked out into the yard with the others as I realized it was Shane's car, and Lori was with him. "Oh my God what happened," Andrea asked as she ran towards Lori as she pulled something away from her head, blood on the cloth. "I was in an accident," Lori said as I came to a stop next to some of the others, my arms crossed under my chest as I looked at her. She looked around before looking to Andrea in front of her.

"Where's Rick," she asked as I gave her this confused look as I'm sure everyone else was too, well everyone but Shane. I watched as she shifted her eyes around, looking at everyone. "They're not back," she asked looking from Andrea before glaring at Shane, "where _are_ they?" "I had to get you back here," Shane said, making it obvious he lied to her. "You _asshole_ ," she said walking up to him. "Lori," Shane said, "I gotta look after you. I gotta make sure the baby's alright." "You're _pregnant_ ," I asked walking up to her as both she and Shane turned to look at me with my sudden outburst, "and just _when_ where you going to enlighten us on that subject? Huh Lori? I bet that baby ain't even Dad's. It's not that hard to guess because Dad hasn't been back long enough and you kept sneaking off with Shane back outside Atlanta."

"Now Kathryn hold up there," Shane started but I glared at him. " _No_ ," I said, "you just made it pretty damn obvious that it's not Dad's baby when you said you had to take care of _her_ and that baby." I turned my glare to Lori before I continued, " _You_ ," I said pointing at her, "didn't even wait a _week_ before you crawled into his arms after he said Dad died in that hospital at the start of all of this. And you had the guts to accuse me of sleeping around with Daryl Dixon just because I got drunk and couldn't find my room at the CDC _or_ recently when I disappeared with a wounded ankle and shoulder. You automatically accused me of it. You just wanted to take the attention away from you and Shane so Dad wouldn't find out. Now we all know why, because you're _having a baby_."

"You're having a baby," I heard Carl say as he walked up behind me. I turned to look at him, excitement on his face as he obviously didn't catch my rant which I was grateful for. He already knew I didn't get along with his mother so he probably assumed it was just because she left without telling anyone where she was going. "Why didn't you tell me," Carl asked as she looked at him, completely at a loss for words. "It's okay buddy," I said ruffling his hair, "she didn't tell any of us." With that, I sent on final glare at Shane and Lori before I walked off away from the group. Instead of going to the Greene's house, I went over to the barn. It still smelt like rotting flesh, but it was a quiet place where I could think.

I don't think I was out there that long before I heard the sound of movement was heard behind me. Looking back, I saw that it was Shane. "Look why don't you just go away," I said turning back around and keeping my back to him. "That ain't happening," I heard him say before I heard his footsteps grow closer to me. Turning around, I realized he was closer than I would've liked so I backed away a step but he caught my arm. I could see the anger in his eyes, anger mixed with lust almost and it scared me. "Let me go Shane," I said trying to jerk my arm free but he held on tightly. "You tease every man in this camp with the way you dress," he sneered as his eyes roamed my body, "I don't know how Glenn can stand to be around you for long without trying to pull a move."

"I said get your hands _off_ of me," I said trying to really jerk away from him now. I stopped when his hand went across my face, the sting burning on my left cheek as my head faced the right. Next thing I know, he throws me to the ground before straddling my waist as I try to push him off of me and get away. "You've teased me for the last time tonight," he said before his hands moved up to my shirt, lifting it up to expose my bra covered chest just before his hands went to my shorts. " _Help_ ," I shouted out hoping someone would hear me before I felt another smack to my face. I had tears streaming down my face as he yanked my shorts off, followed by my underwear and tossing them aside somewhere.

I watched in horror as he unfastened his belt and the followed with his pants button and zipper. The sound almost making me cringe as I tried desperately to get away from him. " _Help me_ ," I shouted out again as he leaned forward, grabbing ahold of both my wrists before placing them above my head as he moved my legs and spread them apart before positioning himself between them. I whimpered out, still struggling, as I watched him dig in his pants before he pulled out his member. I looked away, not wanting to see what was about to happen. I barely felt the tip before he was completely pulled away from me. Looking up, I saw something I never expected to see, or rather some _one_.


	30. Hero

**DARYL'S POV**

I was out walking to try and keep away from my little camp for a while, just in case anyone _else_ decided to pay me a little visit tonight. I found myself over near the barn that had been filled with walkers hours earlier. The pain I saw on everyone's faces, but more importantly Kathryn's and Carol's faces, was devastating when that little girl walked out of the barn. Kathryn believed almost more than I did that we'd find her safe and sound, even went out looking for her with a shot shoulder and an injured leg. But it was all for nothing. We risked our lives in those woods looking for a little girl who had been in this damn barn the whole time.

Just as I was going to walk away, I heard a scream that made my blood run cold. " _Help_ ," they shouted, but even without seeing them I knew who it was. Looking around, I tried to figure out where it came from when I heard another shout but this time helping me pinpoint where they were at. " _Help me_ ," they cried out again as I ran to the barn door. When I opened that door and ran in, the sight before me had me seeing nothing but red. Dropping my crossbow to the ground by the door, I ran over to Shane before dragging him off of Kathryn as she lay on her back in tears with her top lifted up and her shorts tossed off to the side.

My fists came into contact with Shane's face, over and over, and over again. I was pissed and didn't care if I _literally_ beat the man within an inch of his life. When I heard him groan out as I went to punch him again, I grabbed to fists full of his shirt before lifting him up and his head falling back slightly. "What the _fuck_ is wrong with you," I snarled out as I pulled his bloodied face towards mine in anger, "your own _friend's_ daughter?! If I ever _see_ you near Kathryn again and lay your hands on her, I'll _kill_ you. Do you understand me?!" I didn't wait for a reply before I let him drop and leaving him laying there as I turned to Kathryn, grabbing her discarded clothes before cautiously making my way towards her. She had rolled onto her side and was curled up into a fetal position as tears fell down her cheeks.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"Hey," I heard his deep voice whisper as I whimpered out, turning my head slightly to peer up at Daryl with blurred vision from the tears. I just stared at him, still in shock that I had almost been raped by my dad's best friend and the weight of losing Sophia was still there adding to it. "Here," he whispered out as he held my clothes out awkwardly towards me, "can I help you? I won't try to pull anything. I just wanna get ya outta here." Wiping at the tears under my eyes, I nodded before taking his other outstretched hand and allowing him to help pull me to my feet before he knelt down in front of me and held my clothes out for me to climb into. It was sad that I trusted Daryl more than my dad's friend, but what just happened was proof that I wasn't in the wrong for where my trust was.

I didn't even seem to register the fact that I was half naked in front of this man as I pulled my top back down before allowing him to help me climb into my underwear and short. Although he was nice enough to allow me to pull the articles of clothing up and fasten my own shorts when they grew closer to my hips. I was shivering from the shock of things as we walked towards the barn door, Daryl walking between myself and the now unconscious Shane laying on the barn floor. We stopped long enough at the barn door for Daryl to grab his crossbow and sling the strap over his shoulder before his hand found its place on my upper back and guided me out of the barn where we were greeted with members of the group.

"What happened," Maggie asked as she and Carol were the first two to reach us with others closing in, "I heard shouting. Was that you Kathryn?" I couldn't find my voice as I just stared off into space, looking past all the concerned people of my group like they weren't even there, but I could still hear them. "She was almost raped," I heard Daryl mutter out lowly to her and Carol before the others got to us to hear, knowing I didn't want many people to know. "Oh my God," I heard Carol gasp as my attention finally landed on the two before me, Maggie holding her hands up to her mouth. "By who," she asked as she quickly pulled me away from Daryl and wrapped her arms around me. " _Shane_ ," he growled the name out, me whimpering from just hearing it.

**MAGGIE'S POV**

"I think it's best if she stayed in the house for a little while," Carol said from beside me as I held a shaking Kathryn closer to me while looking at a fuming Daryl. "I think you're right," I said nodding, "she can stay in my room with me. C'mon sweetie let's go get you inside and cleaned up." I turned her away, ignoring the confused looks from the rest of her group as I led her inside the house and upstairs to the bathroom. She was filthy, and my only guess was that she'd been inside the barn when it happened, at least that's the direction she and Daryl walked from. In the few days they'd been here on my dad's farm, I had _never_ see Daryl look so pissed and protective over _anyone_ in the group. He generally kept to himself, and I merely thought he just put up with Kathryn being around him so much, but maybe not.

I sat Kathryn on the toilet after closing the lid down before walking out to the hall closet and grabbing a hand towel. Returning back to the bathroom, she still sat in the same position, just staring off into space. "He did a number to you didn't he," I asked in a quiet whisper as I ran the towel under warm water in the sink before gently grabbing her hand and stretching it out as I gingerly wiped away at the dirt on her arm. Her eyes moved down to watch what I was doing as I brushed away the dirt that covered her arms from the incident. Finishing with one arm, I moved on to the next, keeping the movements small and slow as to not startle her.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I watched as Maggie continued what she was doing, cleaning away the dirt and dust that had collected onto my body when I had been fighting against Shane and then just laying there while Daryl beat him senseless. She was acting like I was fragile, and I hated it but I guess it could be expected after what happened, especially when I hadn't said a word since. "I'm not a china doll," I whispered out, causing her to look up at me, "I'm not made of glass. I won't break. I'm just shaken up right now." "I'm sorry," she said looking up at me and giving me a sad smile. "It's not like I really _was_ raped," I said and shuddered at the word, "Daryl got there and prevented it from happening." "Just barely from the sound of it," she said, "if he hadn't heard you cry out when he did then Shane _would_ have."

"I know but it didn't happen," I said looking into her worried filled eyes and put a weak smile on my face, "but you can't tell my dad. No body can." " _Why_ ," she asked shocked as she sat back on her heels in front of me and stared up at me like I was crazy. "Dad's got _enough_ on his plate right now as is," I said shaking my head, "he'll feel like shit if he comes back to find out his daughter was almost raped by his best friend. And then there's the part where my step mother is pregnant and there's no telling if he knows yet or not and if he does he doesn't need to stress out over this small matter of what _didn't_ happen and that baby too." " _Fine_ ," she said narrowing her eyes at me, "but you have to tell him eventually. Or I will. He's your father and has a right to know." "Fine," I said as she stood up and discarded the damp towel.

"C'mon," she said holding her hand out to me when she came back, "you need rest. You'll stay in my room with me." "I don't want to impose," I said shaking my head, "I'll stay outside in mine and Carl's tent where I belong." "I'm not letting you sleep out there near _him_ after all of this," she said shaking her head, "besides I think Daryl would have my ass if I let you go out there right now." " _Daryl_ ," I asked as I felt my cheeks betray me. "Yes _Daryl_ ," she said smiling, "let me tell you I don't know your group that well, or for long that matter, but I _do_ know I've never seen him act the way he did tonight since your group's been here." I felt my cheeks heating up more as she showed me to her room before motioning for me to go on in. "Get some rest," she said, "hopefully Rick, Glenn, and my dad will be back in the morning." I nodded before she closed the door, leaving me alone to my thoughts, which automatically went to the redneck that saved me tonight.


	31. Safe

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I woke up the next morning in Maggie's bed, and I know she stayed downstairs with her sister otherwise she might've made herself a spot on the floor seeings as I had passed out not too long after being left alone last night. Sitting up on the bed, I looked over towards the closed door and just stared at it for the longest time as the sun slowly rose over the horizon. Finally, taking a deep breath and letting it out, I stood to my feet and walked over to the door but paused as my hand clutched the knob. "Gotta face them sooner or later," I whispered out to myself before twisting it and pulling the door open. It was quiet in the house and I don't think Dad, Glenn, and Hershel were back from town yet.

Walking down the stairs, I had my arms wrapped around myself as I walked past the room Beth had been placed in. Peering in for a second, I spotted Maggie and Andrea talking while Maggie sat on the bed by her sister. Looking away, I slowly made my way outside and looked around. It was still early, not many people from camp were away yet. But one person was, I could see him walking towards the house from across the field by the woods where he'd placed his own campsite. I stood on the steps to the porch, my arms still wrapped around me as I watched him walk closer to the house. When he was right in front of the steps I stood on, he stopped for a moment with his crossbow over his shoulder as he looked up to me where I stood. He nodded once at me before turning his attention back towards the camp as people started emerging from their tents.

**DARYL'S POV**

I watched as the reason behind Kathryn's state walked out of his tent, one of the others from the group obviously helping him there last night after she was taken into the house by Maggie. Looking back to Kathryn, I watched as she locked her eyes on him when he came into view. "How are you doin' this morning," I asked causing her to snap her attention back to where I stood. She simply shrugged as her arms were wrapped tightly around herself. Looking up at her, I waited to see if she was going to say anything at all but when she didn't, I just nodded my head before turning and walking towards the car we were taking to look for Rick, Glenn, and Hershel. We discussed last night before what happened at the barn with Kathryn that we'd send a group out first light to look for the others.

As I approached Shane, Andrea, and T-Dog, I couldn't help but glare at the asshole who touched Kathryn the way he did. To try and touch his best friend's _daughter_ like that, it just made my blood boil all the more to be this close to the asshole. "Looks like you got yourself an extra shadow," T-Dog said looking up when I drew closer. When he seen the confused look on my face, he nodded to something behind me. Turning around, I spotted Kathryn walking cautiously behind me, her eyes on Shane as she drew closer. I looked to T-Dog before shrugging, catching Shane in the corner of my eye looking between me and Kathryn like _we_ had something going on.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

As they talked about the plan, apparently going out to search for my father and the others, Daryl stepped off to the side slightly and away from the other three like he knew I wasn't comfortable getting that close to Shane. I think he did it for me, but I also think I'm wanting to read too much into that. He didn't really acknowledge me other than when T-Dog said I was following him around, but he also didn't tell me to get lost or to stop, he just let me be. I watched as they placed things in the back of the car they were taking before I heard something coming up the driveway behind us.

Turning around quickly, I realized it was the same vehicle Dad and Glenn took to get Hershel. Smiling, I ran from the car I was standing next to and followed them up the driveway towards the house. "Daddy," I shouted as he stepped out of the car. He turned to me just as I reached him, my arms wrapping tightly around his neck as he held me back in a hug. "Dad," I heard my little brother's voice before I heard his running footsteps and felt him crash into me and Dad to join the hug. When I pulled out of the hug, I looked back to see the others had joined us by the truck so I took my place next to Daryl, Dad and Lori noticing it.

When his eyes drifted towards Shane, catching sight of his beaten face, I could see his brows furrow in confusion. "The hell happened to your face," he asked looking at Shane as I instantly looked anywhere but at my dad. I could see Glenn and Maggie talking on the other side of the car, his head instantly turning to look at me as I look of pure terror crossed his face when his eyes locked with mine. I lowered my head, knowing Maggie just told him what happened to me. "Nothing man," I heard Shane said trying to cover his ass as I happened to look up to see Glenn coming right to me and hugging me tightly. I buried my head into the chest of my best friend as my hands balled up the fabric of his shirt while his hands were wrapped securely around my shoulders.

**GLENN'S POV**

"Are you okay," I whispered to Kathryn as the group tried to figure out what happened to Shane, Maggie having just told me I wasn't worried about what they were saying. I looked over to see Daryl watching us, his eyes directly on Kathryn before lifting to look at me. I nodded once, my thanks to him for protecting her, which he returned with a stiff nod before looking back to Rick as he seemed to not believe what Shane was saying. "Son of a bitch tried to rape your daughter," Daryl said causing Rick to look to him while Kathryn tightened her grip on my shirt so I tightened mine on her shoulders. "What," I heard Rick asked as I turned to see him looking from his daughter in my arms to his best friend on the other side of Daryl.

"It's true," I said nodding, "Maggie just told me. She stayed in Maggie's room all night afterwards. Daryl stopped it from happening." "Kathryn," Rick said causing her to slowly look over at him. I watched as his face contorted into pain before she pulled away from me and ran to him, burying her head into his chest as she began to sob, his hands resting on her shoulders and head as he tried to comfort his own daughter. "Patricia," I heard Hershel say after a few minutes when no one else said anymore, "prepare the shed for surgery. "I'm _so_ sorry sweetie," Rick whispered into the top of his daughter's head before someone else spoke up. "Who the _hell_ is that," T-Dog asked as he pointed towards the car and the person in the backseat. "That's Randall," I said before moving to walk into the house and to leave Rick to comfort his daughter the best he could after what happened.


	32. His Camp Site

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"We couldn't just _leave_ him out there," Dad said nearly half an hour later when the entire group was inside the Greene's house and Hershel was out back in the shed as he worked on that kid's leg, "he would've bled out, if he _lived_ that long." We were all surrounding the dining room table. Lori, Carl, Jimmy, Dale, Patricia, Carol, and Glenn were all seated around it. T-Dog, Andrea, and Shane were by the window while Dad stood at the front of the table. I stood next to Maggie by the door, keeping as much distance between me and Shane as I could in that small room. I'm not sure where Daryl was, he walked off after the others helped Hershel move Randall to the shed out back.

"It's gotten bad in town," Dad said snapping me out of my thoughts and back to reality as he continued talking. "What do we do with him," Andrea asked after a few minutes, causing us all to look over at her where she stood next to Shane. Before anyone could answer that question, Hershel walked into the room explaining what went down in the shed. "I repaired his calf muscle as best as I could," he said wiping his hands off on a rag as he looked around at us, "but he'll probably have nerve damage. Won't be on his feet for at least a week." "When he is," Dad said looking to Hershel, "we give him a canteen, take him out to the main road, send him on his way." "Isn't that the same as leaving him for the walkers," Andrea asked as I heard the screen door open behind me and Maggie.

I turned around to look at the talking continued. I watched as Daryl stood off to the side, him nodding once after he noticed I was looking back at him. I smiled weakly at him before turning back to face the group as the conversation continued on between Dad and Shane. "Just gonna let him go," Shane asked as I looked to the two, "he knows where we are." "He was blindfolded the whole way here," Dad said trying to reason with Shane and possibly anyone else who had doubts about this, "he's not a threat." "Not a _threat_ ," Shane asked in a mocking tone as he rolled his eyes, "how many of them were there? You killed three of their men, you took one hostage. But they just ain't gonna come looking for him?" "They left him _dead_ ," Dad said glaring at Shane, "no one is looking."

**DARYL'S POV**

I watched as Kathryn seemed to wrap her arms around herself and shake her head as her dad and Shane continued to argue about what to do with the kid. She finally seemed to have had enough of the conversation as she turned and started walking towards the door to the front porch, not even looking back at the others as the conversation continued on with T-Dog and Hershel adding in to the mix of thoughts about the boy in the shed. I watched as she walked out the front door, it slamming shut behind her before I looked back to the group as I felt eyes on me. Looking to the table, I spotted Carol sending me a small smile. I looked away as Shane crossed my eyesight, making his way towards the door, the same one Kathryn just walked out of. I turned and followed him, exiting out the door a couple seconds after he did.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I wasn't outside for long before the sound of the screen door opening again caught my attention. I was off to the right of the door, so when I looked up, I spotted Shane walking out looking _very_ pissed off. I stayed quiet, hoping he wouldn't notice me, as he stormed by and not even giving me a second glance. Seconds later, the sound of the door opening again drew my attention away from Shane's retreating form to Daryl standing in the doorway looking around. When his eyes landed on me and saw I was alone, his body visibly relaxed as he stepped out of the doorway and allowed it to close once again. I watched as he looked like he wanted to say something but seemed to think better of it before turning and moving to walk down the stairs.

"Daryl," I said, my voice coming out barely above a whisper but loud enough for him to hear it. I watched as he stopped and turned back to face me, waiting for me to continue on. I felt my palms begin to become sweaty so I wiped them on my shorts before I took a deep breath so I could say what I wanted to say before I backed out. "I never thanked you," I said, "for what you did back in the barn. And all those other times you've saved my neck from some kind of danger. You must see me as a burden and now I'm just following you around without saying so much as a single word." "No you're not," he said before he turned and continued the way he was going and leaving me standing there confused.

I watched as he started walking in the direction I knew that his new camp site was located. When he was a few feet away from the porch I was still standing on, I watched as he turned to look over his shoulder while still walking, like he was looking to see if I was following or still in place. Quickly looking to my right to see where the rest of the group was, I turned and dashed down the steps and ran to catch up to Daryl. When I was close enough, I slowed my pace down to a walk and followed him towards where his camp was set up in silence. I glanced back only once when I heard a commotion behind us, seeing Shane was watching me walk off with Daryl. He had this _glare_ on his face like he was probably ready to murder Daryl, which I wouldn't doubt after what happened last night.

I faced back forward and continued to follow Daryl until we reached his camp site away from all the others. I watched as he walked over to this old smoke stack, sitting down as he placed his crossbow down beside him. I stood there awkwardly for a moment, not sure what I should do. From what I overheard with both Lori and Carol, he doesn't like others over here, and yet here I am standing here awkwardly while he sits there cutting these sticks into arrows for his crossbow. I looked around his camp, seeing the tent and his brother's bike. Looking around more, I noticed these squirrels hanging on a wire between two trees. I walked over to investigate and noticed the necklace of walker ears he'd been wearing after he came back from trying to find Sophia.

My throat closed up at the thought of the little girl we had tried to find. Turning away, I looked back at the hanging squirrels then turned and looked at Daryl and his crossbow. "Could you teach me how to do that," I asked causing him to look up at me and give me a confused look so I continued on to elaborate, "to hunt and track I mean." I watched as he furrowed his brows at what I said, like he was either thinking about it, or about to tell me I had finally lost my mind in this hell of a world. After a few minutes, he finally went back to what he was doing, not even answering my question on if he'd teach me. Sighing, I looked around the camp again, my eyes landing on his brother's bike once again. Walking over to it, I felt his eyes on me as he watched to see what I was doing.

"Do you have any other family," I asked as I placed my hand lightly on the handles to the bike when I reached it, "other than Merle?" When I didn't hear a verbal response, I turned to look and caught him shaking his head no as he continued to watch what I was doing. "You know I have Dad and Carl," I said looking away and back to his bike, "I'd like to think my mom is still out there too. Maybe even my cousin. My dad's never met him, he was my cousin on my mom's side. I got to meet him maybe three times before this happened, when my mom would still come to see me when I was younger. But I'd like to think him and Mom are still out there, alive and surviving, just waiting for me to find them." I looked up to the sky, like I was sending out a silent prayer that they were both still alive, before I looked back to Daryl to see he was still watching me.

"Probably should get you back to the others," he finally said after a few moments of the two of us just staring at each other in silence, "don't want your dad thinkin' you ran off or somethin'." I nodded as he put the arrow he'd been working on down before picking up his crossbow. He walked ahead of me, just like when we were walking out to his camp. And just like before, it was silent between the two of us. It's funny how I've grown accustom to the silence whenever I'm around him. I don't expect much talking to pass between us, and I think that might actually be why he doesn't mind having me around. When we got back to the house, I saw Maggie on the porch, smiling down knowingly at me as I quickly rushed up the steps and into the house without a second glance at her or even to look back at Daryl before I went inside.


	33. Questioning the Kid

**KATHRYN'S POV**

It's been a week since my dad brought that boy back. That means it's been a week since Shane tried to rape me in the barn the night after we found out Sophia had been a walker the whole time we were looking for her. That means that I've been following Daryl around nearly constantly after what happened, and he has still yet to tell me to get lost. My father hasn't said a word to me about following Daryl like a second shadow. I think he prefers it after what happened with Shane and him keeping it from happen. It's like he trusts Daryl more than Shane now. Speaking of Shane, him and Dad left about mid-morning to drop that boy off somewhere away from our camp.

I didn't really feel a need to follow Daryl around today, since Shane was with Dad I didn't think I needed to keep close to the man that saved me from him. So, as I was sitting up on the upper porch from the second story of the house, I could see out into the fields and where our camp was. If I walked over to the edge of the railing and peered around the side of the house slightly, I could see Daryl's small camp too, which is where he stayed most of the day. Maggie came up to sit with me at one point, after what happened with Beth downstairs trying to kill herself with a broken piece of mirror from the bathroom, she just needed to get away from nearly everyone but chose to keep me company as I waited for my father's return.

She'd constantly ask me what was going on between me and Daryl, as I'd spent the whole week doing nothing but following him around, and I'd always give her the same reply saying that nothing was going on and that he just made me feel safe after what happened. I haven't slept out in the camp with the others since that night either. I've stayed up in Maggie's room with her after my father and hers both insisted on it. There was no room left for debate on that matter so I didn't argue, but I did make her take her _own_ bed. I turned the topic away from me, turning it back on to her and Glenn. I watched as this sad expression crossed her face and I knew right then that something wasn't right. "Maggie," I asked as I reached out and grabbed her hand, causing her to look up at me.

"When your dad and Glenn went to go find my dad," she said squeezing my hand as she spoke, "before they left, I told Glenn I loved him. And now he blames me for him freezing up." "It's not your fault," I said quickly wrapping her in a hug to comfort her, "Glenn's a big boy. He'll figure his shit out and learn not to blame you for something he did or didn't do, okay?" I pulled back to look at her as she nodded and gave me a weak smile before we heard the sound of a vehicle approaching the house. We both looked over our shoulders and out into the yard as the car Dad and Shane took pulled into the yard. "They're back," Maggie said before I smiled and jumped to my feet, making my way back down the stairs and down the front steps of the house just as Daryl seemed to be walking up.

**DARYL'S POV**

I watched as Kathryn bound out of the Greene's house, a smile on her face knowing her dad made it back. Her auburn hair pulled back into a messy ponytail as she came to a stop, her smile faltering and causing me to look back to see Rick and Shane walking out of the car, both looking like they'd been to hell and back. "The hell happened to you to," I asked walking forwards a couple steps, not missing the fact that as soon as I was closer Kathryn instantly stepped into place near me. I glanced back at her for a second before looking back to Rick as he began talking.

"Shane and I had a little disagreement," Rick said casting a quick glare over at the man who'd been his best friend until probably a week ago, "got into a fight. Things got ugly." "Fight over what," I asked and could sense Kathryn stepping slightly closer, probably thinking what I was at the moment he said they got into a fight. "What he did to Kathryn," Rick said as his eyes landed on his daughter, "or rather what he _would've_ done to her if you hadn't gotten to them and stopped him first." I nodded and glanced back at the girl who was now standing nearly directly behind me as she watched her dad and Shane when I heard movement. Looking back up I watched as Rick pulled the kid out of the back of the car while Shane simply stormed off.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

Dad brought that kid back, turns out he knows Maggie. That whole night, I laid awake on the floor in her room wondering what was going to happen to the kid now. Daryl was going to question him first thing this morning and I tagged along behind him, not wanting to be too far away from him in case Shane decided to get back at me _and_ Dad for what happened yesterday when they tried to haul the boy off away from where we were. I leaned back against the shed as he disappeared inside, closing the door behind him to begin his _questioning_ of the boy. I'd cringe every time I heard the sound of that boy moaning and groaning in pain as Daryl hit him when he didn't get an answer to his questions. And what was worse, I could hear everything being said, and I didn't want to hear the last of it.

"But," I heard the boy's voice clearly through the shed walls, "we'd go out, scavenge. Just the men. One night, we found this little campsite. A man and his two daughters, teenagers you know? Real young, real cute. Like the young red head in your group." I'd forgotten he'd seen me this time when Dad dragged him out of the car. But I did know I didn't like where this conversation was headed, but I couldn't move from my spot, wanting to know what he was going to say and wanting to stay close to Daryl. "Their daddy had to watch while these guys," he started but paused to seem to think, "and they didn't even _kill_ him afterwards. They just, they just made him watch." He seemed to get lost in his thoughts for a moment, the silence deadly quiet as I could hear Daryl's slow movement, like he was turning to face the boy or something.

I guess I was right too, as the kid started stammering quickly to try and save himself from what he was saying. "No," he said, "but, but, but I didn't touch those girls. I swear I didn't touch those girls." In that next second I heard the sound of Daryl's groan and the kid's as he hit him somehow, causing him to shut up. I was frozen in place, listening to the sound of Daryl using that kid as a punching bag. That was a touchy subject around the group, after what Shane tried to do to me everyone was on edge about it and I think Daryl was taking out his anger on the kid instead of on Shane like he'd like to. I didn't even notice it'd gotten quiet in the shed until I heard the sound of the door opening and looked over to see Daryl walking out.

My eyes snapped quickly over to him as he shut and locked the door before picking up his crossbow that had been sitting next to me on the ground. When he stood back up, he locked eyes with me, his blue eyes staring into my own. In that moment, I saw something there I'd never seen before on his face, even when he saved me from Shane. In that moment, I saw worry in his blue eyes as he continued to stare at me. I knew he was aware I'd heard what the boy said, it was probably plain as day on my face and I wasn't going to hide it when he obviously knew how I felt about this. Finally, I broke eye contact with him when I thought I saw something else there in his eyes with the worry, and looked down at his hands to find them bloodied at the knuckles.

"Can I clean up your hands," I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. The last time I offered to help him like this, it ended badly and I was scared to get the same backlash from him as before. If he pushed me away again right now, I don't know what I'd do because I looked to him for safety from Shane. "Later," he muttered and turned to walk towards where everyone else stood at the main camp for the group, "after we've told your dad and the other's about this kids group and warn them what they're capable of." "Okay," I whispered with a nod before falling into step behind him as we slowly began to trek our way back to the others. But I still couldn't get it out of my mind. That boy, travels with murders and rapists and he could lead them right to us.


	34. Biased Opinion

**DARYL'S** **POV**

"Boy there's got a gang," I said as me and Kathryn walked up to where the others stood still under the trees on the Greene's property, "about 30 men. They got heavy artillery and they ain't looking to make friends. They roll in here, our boys are dead." I looked around the group as they took in what I said. I couldn't help but glance over at Kathryn for a second, knowing she heard the kid mention what I'm about to say next to the group. "And our women they're gonna," I pause for a second and look back to Kathryn before I continue on, "they're gonna wish they were." I looked away from Kathryn, looked back to the group as they let what I said sink in.

"What did you do," Carol asked, looking to my hand that was holding onto the shoulder strap of my crossbow. "Had a little _chat_ ," I said, ignoring the look she gave me. I looked to Kathryn again to see she had this distant look on her face, probably thinking about what that boy said back in the shed, about what his group did to those two teenage girls. "No one goes _near_ this guy," Rick said, causing Kathryn to snap out of her daze and look to her father before her eyes turned to me. I gave her a weak, half smile before she returned it with the same. She turned her attention away from me for a moment, looking around at the group as they discussed what to do with the kid, before her attention came back to me.

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

Cautiously, I walked over to where Daryl stood as everyone seemed to forget about the two of us since we weren't talking with them. "Can I clean your hands up now," I asked timidly as I lowered my head and looked anywhere else but at him. I half expected him to _shove_ me away, but not physically do so, when I asked but instead when I didn't get a verbal answer from him I looked up to see him nod once before walking off away from the rest of the group. Inwardly smiling, I quickly rush to the RV where I know Dale has some stuff for this sort of thing. Grabbing what I needed, which was a bottle of water and a rag, I walked out of the RV and headed towards where I last saw Daryl walking.

When I find him, he's sitting on a tree stump by the edge of the woods and staring off at the shed where that boy was. Walking up to him, water bottle in one hand and the rag in the other, he looks over at me when I make some sort of sound as I grow closer. His blue eyes land on me, showing hidden emotions that he doesn't let anyone see and yet I see them, but his face is guarded like it normally is. I crouched down in front of him, not saying a word as I gently grabbed his right hand and pulled it closer to me. Stretching his fingers out before I started so I could make sure I got everything, I lightly poured some of the water onto his bloodied knuckles. Setting the bottle down, I picked the rag up off my lap before gently brushing it across his knuckles.

I felt his hand flinch when I lightly brushed the rag over the tender skin of his knuckles, causing me to peer up at him as his own eyes were locked on every move my hand made. "Sorry," I whispered when his eyes moved to look into my own. He didn't say anything so I looked back down to his hand as I brushed the rag over it again, causing him to flinch once more. He did so a couple more times before he stopped altogether and just let me finish cleaning his hand off of blood and dirt so if there were any cuts they wouldn't get infected. "I want you to stay away from the kid," Daryl's voice said, cutting through the silence that had surrounded us well after I apologized for causing slight pain to his hand earlier. "Wasn't planning on going near him," I whispered as I kept my eyes on his hand, "dealing with one potential rapist is enough for me for a lifetime."

**DARYL'S** **POV**

I inwardly flinched when she said _rapist_. I knew who she was referring to at that point and I couldn't help when my blood began to boil as I remember that night a week ago when her dad went off to find Hershel but came back with this kid too. "There," I heard Kathryn say before I looked back down at her to see her standing to her feet and placing the cap back on the water bottle she'd been using. I looked down at my hand to see it clear of the blood and dirt that had been caked on it earlier. "Thanks," I muttered, causing her head to shoot up to look at me. I guess she wasn't expecting me to thank her at all from the look on her face. Seconds before she answered, a smirk crossed her face as it turned slightly pink with a blush.

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

"You're welcome," I said smiling, "Tarzan." I was just teasing him with the name now, knowing he didn't like it all that much but I couldn't help it. My smile grew when he just scoffed and rolled his eyes before standing to his feet from the stump he'd been sitting on and walking off, back to his camp site set up away from the others. Looking back towards the group, I could see Dale talking to the others, probably about my dad wanting to execute Randall. I walk towards the Greene's house, not wanting to deal with him and his pestering to save the boy, but I don't get off so easily. He spots me as I'm walking towards the porch and calls out my name.

"I know what you want to talk about Dale," I said not turning to face him as he drew closer so he could hear me, "and I _don't_ want to talk about it. I don't care what my dad does." "But he's a _kid_ Kathryn," Dale said as I rolled my eyes with my back still to him, "he's your age. And you just want to allow you father to execute him for being guilty by association?" "Dale I was _there_ listening as Daryl questioned him," I said turning around to face him, "I _heard_ what he said his group did. Two teenage girls around my age were _raped_ because of the men in his group. _I_ was almost raped a week ago by a member of this group that I've known most of my life. So excuse me if my decision seems biased on what to do with the guy. He gets away from us, he could bring them _here_ and I don't feel like reliving almost being raped. Excuse me Dale."

I didn't wait for Dale to speak again before I turned my back to him and headed into the Greene's house and up to Maggie's room. That had basically became my room as well this past week, no one forcing me to go back out there and sleep a few tents away from the one person my dad thought he could trust around his family. Instead of going to Maggie's room, I walked out onto the balcony I'd sat on yesterday with her while we waited for Dad and Shane to return from attempting to drop off the kid. I smiled down at my little brother, as I spotted him walking up to the front of the house. Everyone was gathering tonight to discuss what was to happen to Randall. Dad had given Dale until sun down and now was the time to find out if he'd swayed anyone's decision on killing the guy.

I looked over to the door that led to the balcony when I heard it open. I smiled slightly when I spotted Maggie looking back at me as she stood in the doorway. "Everyone's gathering downstairs for the meeting," she said looking at me, "you coming?" "No," I said shaking my head, "I've done told Dale my opinion on what should be done with him. Dad and Daryl both know it too should they need to speak on my behalf. I'm just going to stay up here until it's time for bed." "Alright," she said nodding before closing the door behind her as she went back inside. I sat down on the floor, with my back against the wall, as I thought about what was going to happen. I didn't think it was _okay_ to kill the kid but I didn't want to risk him bringing his group here. I don't think I could live if I _was_ raped by those men like what had happened to the teenage girls. So I just sat up there on that balcony, and waited until I saw people leaving out of the house before I walked back downstairs.


	35. Dale

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I sat on the front porch that night, waiting for the sound of the gun shot that would end the boy's life, but it never came. Instead, I heard the cries of an older male voice and when I reached where everyone was standing in the field behind the barn, I nearly broke down. It was Dale, laying there on the grass with his stomach ripped open. I stood back, away from the others, as I watched Daryl take my dad's gun and kneel down next to Dale before he pulled the trigger. I feel tears falling down my face as the echo from the shot slowly drift away in the wind, and only when everyone starts to turn around do I finally turn and run for the house. Once inside, I lock myself in the bathroom and stay there all night, ignoring everyone who knocks to try and get me to come out.

That next morning, I finally emerged from the bathroom, only to sit out on the upper balcony once more as the group held a funeral for Dale. I sat there, my arms crossed over one another as they rested on the banister, watching as my dad spoke to the group. Probably telling them about Dale, or at least what he knew about the man. I couldn't make myself go down there and join them, I'd go down later and pay my respects to the man that had treated me like a daughter when I thought _my_ father was dead at the start of all of this. As I sit there watching, silent tears making their way down my face, I notice that a group of four leave in the blue truck to go and take care of how that walker got onto the property and to stop anymore from getting so close. As Shane, Andrea, T-Dog, and Daryl climb into the truck, I watched as Daryl seemed to glace at where I sat before climbing onto the back with T-Dog.

When I see the others move away from the new grave, I slowly stand to my feet and make my way down to the site. When I get there, I fall to my knees as new tears slowly seep down my cheeks. "I'm _sorry_ Dale," I whispered out as I looked at the freshly turned soil that was placed over Dale's body, "you were nothing but _kind_ to me from the start, and I went and treated you like that. If I would've known that those would have been the last words I said to you, I wouldn't have said them." I looked up to the sky for a minute, sniffling and wiping the tears from under my eyes as I tried to steady myself to continue on with what I was saying. "I know you were only trying to save the kid," I whispered, "and I know you were only trying to see the good in people. But I couldn't live knowing if that boy got loose what would happen if he brought his people back to us. When I almost got raped, I was _scared_ and I didn't know if anyone would make it to save me in time."

I had to stop for a moment, as the sob and fear of what had happened to me took over my body. I had to calm down a moment before I could even finish what I was saying to him. "But Daryl saved me," I said after I could speak again, "Daryl got there in time to stop him. But I still had no right to say what I did to you Dale. It's not right to kill someone for being guilty by association and you were just trying to show everyone else that. I'm so sorry Dale." The dam broke behind my tears before I bent over on the ground, resting my head on my arms in front of me as I nearly laid on the grass below me. I stayed there, not caring if someone saw how I was reacting to all of this. Dale had treated me so _kindly_ and I betrayed him by treating him like he'd done nothing at all for me.

I don't know how long I was there like that for. But I didn't look up when I heard a vehicle pull back into the yard near the others. Didn't look up when I heard heavy footsteps making their way towards me a couple minutes after I could hear the talking of the group near the main campsite. When the footsteps stopped off to my side, and the person who owned them didn't make a sound to talk to me, that's when I finally looked up. I knew I looked horrible for crying so long, I could tell it was noticeable when I was met with worried blue eyes that belonged to the man I've owed my life to for a while now in the walker infested world.

**DARYL'S** **POV**

I could tell Kathryn was beating herself up over the loss of Dale. Most of us in the group could tell Dale's death affected her the most. When she, Lori, Carl and Shane first joined the group, Dale was probably the first friend she made. He gave her a place to sleep when she didn't want to sleep near her step-mother. Even back then when we were in Atlanta, when I'd glance over at where she stood next to the old man, that he cared for her and she had grown to care for him like he was her family. Snapping back to reality and seeing the girl down in front of me on the grass as she wiped away the tears from her eyes, I knew this was going to take a while for her to get over. "Everyone's movin' indoors," I said after a few minutes, as her watery blue eyes peered up at me.

She looked to the group behind me before her eyes lifted back to mine as she nodded slightly and stood to her feet, brushing off the grass and dirt that had collected onto her knees from kneeling on the grass for so long. "Why don't you come help me," I said nodding my head out towards my camp, "get ya away from everyone and take your mind off some things." Nodding again, she waited for me to walk ahead of her, following along behind me as we slowly made our way to my small camp where my tent and brother's bike were, along with some other things. The walk was silent, I'd look back every now and then to make sure she was still there, but in a sense she _wasn't_. Physically she was but emotionally she was in another world and I didn't like the look on her face.

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

One thing I've grown to like about being around Daryl, he doesn't push me to talk about what eating away at me. I can see the looks he's giving me, I can she he's _actually_ worried about how I'm taking this, but he's not making me talk. Silently, once we reach his camp, we start packing away his tent and other things that we place onto the back of the bike that belonged to Merle. It seems odd that it's been close to two weeks since we lost Merle back in Atlanta. It feels longer actually. Once everything is packed up, Daryl gets on the bike and starts it before looking back to me. "Get on," he said as he moved so I'd be able to climb on. Looking at him like he's crazy, I shake my head as he glances back. "I'll walk," I said, "my dad would probably flip."

"I wasn't askin'," he said looking at me. Finally I gave in with a sigh and walked over to him. Placing my hands carefully on his shoulders, I lifted one leg and placed it on the other side of the bike. Not wanting to make him more uncomfortable than he probably already was even though he told me to, I kept my hands on his shoulders as he glanced back once to make sure I was settled. With a nod, I told him I was ready to go, my grip on his shoulders tightening slightly as he moved the bike forward and we made our way back to the Greene's house with the others.

It was an amazing feeling, being on the back of that bike, but it ended all too quickly as we pulled up to the front of the house. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Shane giving me and Daryl one hell of a look and on the other side of us, I could see Dad watching too. I climbed off the bike once he turned it off and attempted to head on inside when Daryl's voice stopped me. "Kathryn," he said, barely above a whisper. I turned around to look at him, waiting to see what he'd say. "Rick and I are going out later to take that kid off like the original plan," he said, "I want you to stay around someone at all times so Shane doesn't have a chance to get you alone like last time. I know you want your space but that prick don't care."

Knowing what he meant, I nodded my head in understanding. "I'll stay with Maggie," I said as he nodded once. I looked over Daryl's shoulder at that moment to see Shane walk over to Dad with a very pissed off expression. If I had to guess, he was pissed off with me on the back of Daryl's bike like that. Well if that was then case then honestly he could get over himself. I locked eyes with Dad for a second before I turned away and went to go inside like I had planned to before. I was going to go find Maggie and see if she wanted me to help out anyway I could since we were all moving into the house for the winter. I have a feeling this will be a long winter if we're all in this confined space. Also means I'll be too close to Shane to be able to be truly comfortable in that house. Yep, this will be a _long_ winter.


	36. Missing Randall

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I sat up on the upper balcony once again, this place easily becoming my get-a-way spot when I just wanted to be left alone, watching everyone in the group pass by below me as they did what they needed to do for us to get set up in the Greene's home. I could hear Dad and Daryl talking below me, probably about where to drop off that Randall kid but I couldn't make out what they were saying exactly. I didn't really _care_ to know, just as long as they got rid of the kid so that he couldn't bring his group back here to hurt this group. We're already hurting enough, losing Sophia then losing Dale last night. I still can't help but feel bad about the last thing I said to him, basically turning my back on him after all he'd done for me in the start of all of this.

I was sitting with my back against the wall, sitting parallel to the railing, and as I looked out to the yard I could see Shane walking up towards the porch. Curious, I leaned closer to the railing and watched as Daryl walked off away from where he and Dad had been talking before Shane reached him. Rolling my eyes when Shane happened to glance up at me, I sat back so that my back was resting against the wall once more and I allowed my thoughts to drift away. I was snapped out of my thoughts, maybe a couple of hours later when I heard shouting coming from the front of the house where I still sat on the balcony above the porch. Quickly standing to my feet, I looked over the railing before seeing T-Dog talking fast with my dad and Daryl by the steps, panic clear on his face.

Turning quickly, I ran back inside before heading down the stairs, making it outside in time to see everyone heading for the shed. Confused as panic started to seep in, I followed behind and watched as Daryl opened the shed door before Andrea walked in. When the door opened wide enough, I could see in, I could see Randall was missing. I looked around in a panic as I watched everyone else survey the scene, trying to figure out what the hell happened. "It'll be okay," Glenn said walking up to me and wrapping me in a hug when he saw how panicked I _truly_ was at this point. I could feel myself shaking slightly as I held onto Glenn tightly, my fingers taking a firm grasp on his shirt. Looking over his shoulder behind him, I spotted Daryl and could tell he knew I was scared, his eyes locked on me for the longest time as I stood in Glenn's arms before he looked away at the sound of Shane's voice.

**DARYL'S** **POV**

Everyone turned around at the sound of Shane's shouting. Walking up with a bloodied nose, there was no telling what happened, but from the looks of it he had a run in with our little escaped prisoner. Everyone seemed to walk up closer to where I stood as Shane came to a stop in front of us. Going on about the kid hitting him in the face and taking his gun. "We'll split up into two groups to find him," Rick said before Shane butted in with his opinion. "Kathryn can come with me," he said and instantly my gaze turned to the girl who had been standing by Glenn. "That's not _happening_ ," I heard Rick grit out as I watched her move to stand behind me. I looked up to see Shane and Rick having a glaring match before I felt a small hand make its way into my own. Looking down quickly, I spotted Kathryn's small hand in mine, her fingers intertwining with my own before I looked up to see she was watching Shane with a scared look on her face.

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I don't know what came over me to grab his hand, I think I was just more or less seeking the comfort in the gesture with how freaked out I was at that moment. But what shocked me was when he held my hand back, like he knew how scared I was in that moment. Especially with Shane trying to get me alone and away from the group. "Hershel," Dad said snapping me out of my thoughts as he looked away from Shane, "T-Dog, get everybody back into the house. Glenn, Daryl, come with us." Daryl let go of my hand before readying his crossbow so he could follow behind and find that boy before he got too far away. "Stay inside," I heard Daryl whisper to me, his eyes locking with mine before he turned and followed Shane, Dad, and Glenn into the woods after Randall. I stood there watching as they disappeared into the trees before I felt hands on me.

Looking over I spotted T-Dog looking at me trying to get me to move. "C'mon Kathryn," he said quietly but quickly as he continued to try to get me to move from my spot as the others began making their way inside. "I'm coming," I said nodding as I slowly turned around. T-Dog believing that I was following him, turned and ran inside. I stopped in my tracks and looked back to the woods, worried about three of the four men out there looking for that kid. Looking back to the house quickly, I turned fully and walked to the edge of the trees like I was trying to peer in to the woods and spot the kid, but of course I couldn't see him or anyone else in there for that matter. Turning to go to the house like I was told, I happened to look down before spotting that the leaves at the edge of the woods had been moved around, like someone was trying to hide something.

Stooping down to a crouch, I brushed the leaves away before revealing a gun, _Shane's_ gun to be exact. Confused but _very_ worried, I placed the gun in the back waistband of my jeans before walking into the house. It seemed no one realized I was missing as I snuck my way back upstairs to my perch where I'd keep a look out for Dad, Glenn, or Daryl as I waited for them to come back. I had taken a pair of binoculars with me up to the balcony and I was using them to keep an eye out, but once it got dark, it became much harder to see with them so I ended up placing them on the railing and just sitting back against the wall once more as I waited. At the sound of a gunshot, my head jerked up with fear making its way through my body before I jumped up to my feet and ran downstairs to see everyone else mirroring my worried look.

I stood there, my arms wrapped around myself as I waited with the others, Andrea talking about going out to find them while Lori was telling her to stay here that she'd be more helpful with us if Randall came back. When she looked to be about to say something else, her words were cut off by the sound of someone walking into the house. My attention quickly snapped over behind me before I let out a sigh of relief to see Glenn and Daryl walking in. "Thank God," I said running to hug Glenn and sending Daryl a thankful look that I know he saw. "Rick and Shane ain't back," Daryl asked as he looked around the room while I stayed in Glenn's arms, Maggie walking over to join us. "No," I said shaking my head and looking to him as he peered over at me. "We heard a shot," he said as he looked back to the others.

**DARYL'S** **POV**

"Maybe they found Randall," Lori said while I shook my head. "We found him," I said, "he was a walker." "Did you find the walker that bit him," Hershel asked as I looked to him. "No the weird thing is he wasn't bit," Glenn said from beside me as I watched Kathryn look up at him confused, just like everyone else. "His neck was broke," I said as I looked at everyone. "So he fought back," Patricia said from over by Hershel. "The thing is," I said, "Shane and Randall's tracks were right on top of each other. Shane ain't no tracker so he didn't come up behind him. They were together." "Would you go back out there and find my father," Kathryn said fully turning to face me, worry clear in her eyes for her father. "You got it," I said nodding before walking past her and placing my hand on her shoulder.

By the time we made it outside onto the porch, the sight back behind the barn stopped us all in our tracks. Glancing slightly to the side of me, I could see Kathryn standing there shaking and it wasn't from the cold outside. "Patricia get the lights," Hershel said from in front of me. "I'll get the guns," Andrea said before the sound of her footsteps moving away reached my ears. "Maybe they'll just pass," Glenn said, "like the herd on the highway. Should we just go inside?" "Not unless there's a tunnel downstairs that I don't know about," I said looking at him and shaking my head, "a herd that size with rip the house down." "Carl's gone," I heard that next second and watched as Kathryn froze on the spot to what Lori was saying, "he was upstairs. I can't find him anymore." Carol took Lori inside to find her son while Kathryn stayed in her spot next to me.

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I watched as Maggie started handing out guns while they made a plan on what to do. They were going to take some cars, drive around and try to take out as many as they could then lead the others off the farm. "You could go if you want," I heard Hershel say as he loaded the shot gun he had in hand while looking at the rest of us. "Are you serious," Daryl asked after Hershel and Andrea explained the plan that just popped up to try to save this farm. "This is my farm," Hershel said, "I'll die here." I watched him walk off down the stairs. "Alright," Daryl said from beside me, "as good a night as any." I looked to him just as he sat on the railing, about to jump over before he stopped and looked to me. "You riding with me," he asked while I shook my head. "I'm going to wait for Dad," I said and he nodded. "Watch yourself," he said while I smiled. "Be careful out there," I said before stepping up and placing a kiss on his cheek. When I realized what I did, I quickly turned away and walked inside, but not before noticing the look Lori gave me having seen what just happened.


	37. Losing the Farm

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I stood on the porch, watching as members of my group scattered while using the cars to get the walkers' attention away from the house and to shoot them. I could feel the cool metal from Shane's gun pressing into my back, but it never crossed my mind to pull it out and help protect this farm. I was more worried about my father and little brother, I wouldn't have been able to focus enough to shoot straight with this much worry in mind. My arms were wrapped around myself as I heard the sound of gunfire feel the air along with the motors of the running vehicles, and also the sound of the groaning walkers too. I looked over my shoulder behind me as I heard Lori running around the house with Carol trying to find Carl.

All the women had stayed behind in the house, well besides Maggie as she was riding with Glenn and Andrea was with T-Dog. Lori, Carol, Patricia, and Beth were inside while I stayed out on the porch, just looking for a sign that my father was alright. From where I stood, I could just make out Daryl on that motorcycle by the fence that separated the barn from the rest of the house. Because I was looking in that general direction, I noticed the barn was on fire in the background, meaning someone did that. All I could think was that it was Dad because the rest of the group was still riding around and trying to make a dent in the body of walkers while the rest of the group was hiding away inside the house. "Please be Dad," I whispered to myself as I watched the RV drive towards the barn just in case someone was there and needed help.

I heard Lori and Carol walk out onto the porch and turned around to see them arguing about staying or leaving. "Kathryn c'mon," Lori shouted when she saw me look as she and Carol met up with Beth and Patricia on the steps. " _No_ ," I shouted back, "I'm staying here and waiting for Dad! I'm not leaving him behind _again_!" I ran off the porch, not waiting around for her to try and drag me with them, as I pulled out Shane's gun and came to a stop next to Hershel. He glanced at me for a second as I held the gun up with both hands before aiming and firing as some of the walkers alongside of him. I zoned out as I was shooting, focusing on the training I took for _months_ with Dad back before he let me get my license to carry and have a gun of my own. I stayed with Hershel, keeping him in my peripheral vision as we slowly backed away from the advancing herd.

The sound of a gunshot going off behind us caused me to quickly turn around in time to see a walker falling to the ground, but behind it I saw a sight that made me want to cry. "Dad," I cried out running to him, "Carl!" I quickly wrapped my arms around my father and brother as I felt tears falling from my eyes, happy they were both alive at this point in time. "C'mon we gotta go," Dad said pulling away from me and pushing both Carl and I to the only car left on the property, "Hershel let's _go_!" I watched as Dad grabbed his arm before tugging him backwards to get him to move while I grabbed Carl's shoulders and ran with him to the car. Carl and I climbed into the backseat while Dad and Hershel were in the front. Sitting there with my arms wrapped tightly around my little brother, I peered out the window on the door closest to me as the farm slowly faded from view.

As we slowly drew further and further away from the farm, I looked up to where Dad was sitting in the driver's seat. It was quiet in the car as we were all exhausted from everything that happened but we were also worried about loved ones that were a part of our group. Glenn, Maggie, _Daryl_ , I didn't know what happened to any of them. "Dad," I whispered out as I reached forward in my seat with Carl still tucked tightly into my side as I grasped my father's shoulder. I heard my own voice crack as he peered back at me through the mirror, a sad smile on his face. He knew Carl and I were safe, but he wasn't so sure about Lori and as much as I _hated_ that woman he still loved her to death.

**DARYL'S POV**

It was dawn by the time Carol and I found some of the other group members. Glenn and Maggie were in the Hyundai that Shane and snatched off the highway while Lori, Beth and T-Dog were in that man Otis' blue pickup. But we hadn't found Rick, Hershel, Carl, or Kathryn yet. Deciding that they might be back on the highway where we lost Sophia, that's where we headed. The relief I felt when I spotted that familiar head of red hair behind a vehicle with her father, brother, and Hershel couldn't be described. Ever since she left that kiss on my cheek last night when we decided to try and save the farm, I couldn't stop myself from worrying about her more than I should. It's been like that, especially since what happened with Shane trying to rape her back in that barn. Mentally shaking those thoughts from my head, I pulled to a stop just behind the car they had obviously used to get off the farm as the other two vehicles pulled beside me.

I watched as relief washed over Kathryn's face as her blue eyes landed on me once I cut my bike off and Carol climbed off after me. Carl ran past where I sat, straight for his mother, while Rick greeted me with a handshake before moving on to his wife. Kathryn smiled at me once, not moving closer, before her eyes darted behind me and she took off running. When I looked over my shoulder, Maggie was running towards Hershel with Beth, while Kathryn ran straight for Glenn and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. It's funny how my brother would tease those two about being a couple when they're clearly happier as friends. Looking back to the group after they broke away from their hug, I listened as everyone mentioned who was lost and we devised a plan of action. Everyone climbed into the two vehicles we were taking while Carol climbed back onto the bike with me as we began our trek east.

We stopped a couple hours later, it being late in the evening, when Rick honked his horn to signal that we needed to stop. Turns out he's been riding on fumes for a while now. As we talked once more about what to do, Rick saying we should just stay here for the night and make a run for gas in the morning, I couldn't help but glance over at Kathryn as she hugged her brother close to try and keep him warm when he claimed to be cold. We found a spot to make camp, and as some of the members got firewood together to build a fire in what looked to be ruins of some sort maybe, I looked over to where Kathryn was and decided I needed to act now. As the group gathered around the small fire, I walked over to Kathryn and her brother, very much aware of the stares I was getting.

"C'mon," I said once, nodding my head in the direction that lead further into the woods. Turning, I didn't wait for a reply before I started walking. When I didn't hear her following, I looked back to see she was giving me a confused look. "You said you wanted to learn to track and hunt," I said to clarify what I was talking about, "no time like the present to learn. Let's go before we lose the light." Nodding, she quickly jumped up to her feet and followed me into the woods without a second thought as to what was going on. When I felt we were far enough away from the group so that someone wouldn't stumble upon us, I stopped walking just as she ran into my back from my sudden halt in movement.

When I turned around to face her, she had a forming blush on her cheeks as she stammered out an apology for running into me. Placing my crossbow over my shoulders, once again earning a confused look from Kathryn, I just stood there staring at her. I watched as she began to fidget with the edge of her jacket she was wearing, my stare obviously making her uncomfortable. Before I talked myself out of it, just as she went to speak and ask me what was going on, I took two quick strides towards her and pushed her back against the tree that happened to be behind her just as I allowed my lips to crash upon her soft one, instantly silencing anything she may have had to say. I thought I almost lost her last night, I'd be _damned_ if I allowed her to slip away again without saying _something_ to her. And her not fighting back was proof enough that I wasn't overstepping some sort of a boundary, _too much_.


	38. Almost Caught

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

To say I was in complete shock the second my back was pushed against the tree and Daryl's lips were on mine would be a _serious_ understatement. It felt like my heart and the world around us just _stopped_ , as cliché as that sounds. As his tongue pried my lips open, not even asking for permission, my hands slowly found their way up around his neck as he placed both his arms on either side of my head as he leaned against the tree. I could feel so much emotion coming off of him from this kiss alone, like there were untold feelings mixing in, and the intensity of just this first kiss from him was something I should've been afraid of. But with Daryl, I wasn't afraid of anything. This man has protected me more times than he should've had to, and yet he's let me stay close. And now, here he is kissing me in the middle of the woods after we lost the farm and others. Okay maybe it's crappy timing, but I'll take what I can get at this point.

**LORI'S POV**

How could Rick _say_ that? Claim to have killed Shane, to protect his family from the man who's been his best friend for years. I couldn't believe what I was hearing when he said that. So I just walked away so I wouldn't have to hear any more _bullshit_ about why he killed him. Leaving Carl with the others, I walked through the woods to try and clear my head and to just forget about what happened. I could hear a noise up ahead just a short ways from the camp, the sound of movement but it wasn't moving closer or further away. Confused and curious as to what it was, I slowly walked forward, very aware of the sounds around me to keep from making any louder noises so I didn't give my presence away to whatever was ahead of me. Peering around the tree that was in front of me, I stopped dead in my tracks when I found where the noise was coming from.

A few feet in front of me, there stood Daryl and Kathryn. Her shoulders resting against the bark of a tree as her head was closer to his, Daryl's left hand resting against the tree as he leaned forwards with his right arm wrapped around her waist and pulling her closer to him so there was little space between them. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and from this distance it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what the hell they were doing. "I _knew_ something was up with those two," I whispered to myself before turning and making my way back to our camp site as quietly as I could so they didn't notice I was there. I think it was time I had a word with Rick about his daughter and Daryl.

Getting back to camp, I walked through the group looking for Rick. Finally spotting him up near the road, I made my way over to him, determined for him to finally see what his daughter has been doing this whole time. "Rick," I said when I reached him, causing him to look at me. "Thought you were ignoring me now," he said glaring at me. "You need to have a _word_ with your daughter," I said as I ignored what he said, "I just caught her and Daryl out in the woods leaning against a tree making out like a couple of teenagers." "Well for one she is still a teenager," he said glaring at me, "and two why would I believe you on that? I know how you two don't like each other that well, for all I know you could be making that up just to try and get her into trouble."

**RICK'S POV**

"Yes we have our differences," Lori stated glaring at me, "but I wouldn't stoop so low as to _lie_ about something dealing with your daughter. From day one she's said there was nothing going on between her and that man, then I go out there and find them in each other's arms? Rick she's been _lying_ to us from the start. Now I think you need to have a word with her." I went to say something else to her about telling me how to raise my eldest child when I looked behind her and spotted the two in question as they walked out of the woods with a couple squirrels in hand each. When Lori noticed my change in attention, she looked behind her as well and saw what had my attention. "I mean it Rick," she said looking back at me before walking off back towards the group and over to Carl.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

When Daryl and I finally pulled out of our intense make out session in the woods, we managed to find a few squirrels but not many. The seasons were changing, coming up on winter and the animals were going in for hibernation. We sat the squirrels down by the fire that someone had gotten started while we were out and before either of us could sit down, my dad walked over towards us. "Daryl," he said looking beside me and then to me, "Kathryn can I have a word alone with you too?" Daryl and I both shared a confused look before we looked back to Dad and nodded, following behind him as we walked away from the others. I caught sight of a smug Lori before she disappeared out of sight. "What's wrong Dad," I asked looking to him once we came to a stop as he looked torn about something. "Is there something I should know about," he asked looking at me, "between you and Daryl here?"

"What do you mean Dad," I asked trying to mask my panic as I glanced over at Daryl to see he was hiding his emotions well. "Lori said she saw the two of you out in the woods," he said as I looked back to him, "kissing." "What is she doing," I asked as my anger rose, "following me now because she doesn't have _Shane_ to follow around anymore?" "So were you," he asked after I noticed him cringe at the mention of Shane's name. " _No_ ," I all but shouted, "Dad after she all but lied to you about her and Shane, are you really going to believe _her_ word over _mine_?" I watched as he lowered his head and shook it before looking up at me once again. "No," he said, "but I felt that I needed to ask after she brought it up. I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions you two." "You're just trying to look after your little girl," Daryl said speaking up for the first time since Dad asked to talk to us, "it's okay."

Dad nodded before allowing us to walk away. By the time he joined us by the fire, it was well after dark. I was sitting next to Glenn who was sitting with Maggie, Beth, and Hershel while Daryl sat on the other side of the fire with Carol not too far from him. I could hear the whispering amongst the group, Carol saying that my dad was no good and that he was going to get us killed, Maggie trying to persuade Glenn beside me that they should take their chances on their own without Dad. I watched as Hershel talked his daughter out of it when the sound of a twig snapping in the distance could be heard. "What was that," Beth asked looking up at her dad as I looked to Daryl while he stood to his feet and pulled his crossbow over his shoulder and held it in his hands. "Could be anything," he said looking around, "could be a raccoon. Could be a possum."

"A walker," Glenn said from beside me. "We need to leave," Carol said as she stood up in a panic, "we're not safe here. What are we waiting for?" "The last thing we need is for everyone to be running off in the dark," Dad said causing me to look over to him where he stood, "we don't have the vehicles. No one's traveling on foot." "Don't panic," I heard Hershel say, dragging my attention away from my dad and over to him as Maggie began to speak. "I'm not," she said looking at him, "I'm not sitting here, waiting for another herd to blow through. We need to move, _now_." "No one is going anywhere," Dad said as we all looked to him again. "Do something," Carol said in an almost patronizing tone as she looked to Dad beside her.

"I _am_ doing something," Dad said looking back at her, "I'm keeping this group together, _alive_. I've been doing that all along, no matter what. I didn't ask for _this_. I killed my best friend for you people for Christ's sake!" I stared at my dad in shock as silence followed behind his words as he looked at each one of us before speaking again. "You saw what he was like," he continued, "how he pushed me, how he compromised us. How he _threatened_ us. He tried to rape my own daughter!" I cringed at the memory of that night in the barn. I looked over to Daryl to see his eyes instantly on me at the mention of what Shane tried to do to me. "He staged the whole Randall thing," Dad said causing me to look back to him, "led me out to put a bullet in my back."

I knew Shane had gone crazy, that much was obvious after what happened with Otis when we first were on the farm because of what happened to me and Carl. But I didn't think he'd be crazy enough to stage something just to kill my dad. "He gave me no _choice_ ," Dad said as he continued to try and show it wasn't his fault, "he was my _friend_. But he came after me, attacked my daughter and tried to take my family away from me. My hands are _clean_." Dad looked around for a few minutes, looking at everyone's faces. I heard Carl starting to sob, when I looked over at him, he was in his mother's arms with his face buried into her chest. "Maybe y'all are better off without me," he said finally, "go ahead. I say there's a place out there for us, but maybe that's just a pipe dream. Why don't you go find out for yourself, send me a postcard when you get there."

I looked at the others, them all staring back at Dad like he'd finally jumped off the deep end. He's had so much placed onto his shoulders at this point, I couldn't blame him for acting like this. "Go on there's the door," he said pointing away from us all, "you can do better? Let's see how far you get. No takers? _Fine_ but get one thing straight, you're staying, this isn't a democracy anymore." Silence followed afterwards, we all just stared at him. I looked around to see that everyone wasn't about to question him on this, if he thought he could lead us, then so be it. I glanced at Daryl in time to see he was once again looking to me before he looked away and started skinning another squirrel we'd caught earlier that evening when we got there. Looking over at Glenn, I sent him a week smile before walking after my dad to see if he was alright. I just hopped things calmed down as the winter went on.


	39. Time Alone

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

It's been 8 months since we lost the farm and others from our group. It's been 8 months since that night Daryl first kissed me and we almost got caught by my dad. I've been going off with Daryl to hunt for some food for the group and every chance we get away from the others, he's got me pushed against a tree just like that first time. As the time has gone by, he's only moved as far as feeling me up over my clothes but I guess that's because either we don't have enough time to move forward or he doesn't know if _I_ want to move forward yet. I don't care what pace we go at as long as I don't have to hide my feelings from him anymore. And it's funny, because at first I thought these feelings were just because he's saved my life so many times, then I thought they were just one sided when I got past that, and now I know they're not.

In the 8 months we've been moving from place to place, Lori and I have been at each other's throats constantly. Bickering about the smallest thing, and it's gotten to a point where I won't back down from a fight because I'm tired of her trying to treat me like I'm shit on the bottom of her shoes. Dad seemed to finally have enough of us arguing day in and day out in the car as we drove along to the next place we hoped was safe because he told me I could ride with someone else if I really wanted to. I told him I wasn't riding with Glenn, Hershel, Maggie, and Beth because I didn't want to impose, so that left me switching rides with Carol. The last time we pulled over, when I was to switch with Carol, Daryl and I hid it from the others that we didn't mind the change in riding arrangements.

So here I was sitting on the back of Daryl's bike wearing black ripped jeans, boots, a white sleeveless shirt that I tied in the front to make a little shorter, and a black leather jacket that we found a couple weeks ago. I had my red hair pulled back into a low ponytail to keep the hair out of my face as I held onto Daryl with my arms wrapped around his middle as we rode down the highway. We had found this house a while back, but there wasn't any food left inside other than a couple cans of dog food. Well that and Daryl found an owl but we didn't get to eat _anything_ before T-Dog whistled and informed us that there was another small herd closing in. So quickly we grabbed up our things and made a run for the cars, getting out of there before we could get bitten by one of those walking corpses.

**DARYL'S POV**

We were standing around the hood of the Hyundai looking at a map, trying to come up with a game plan as to what to do. We'd been traveling around in circles all winter, going from house to house in an attempt to find someplace more stable to stay at for Lori's sake. The more she progressed in her pregnancy the more she and Kathryn would argue and fight. Before long it got to the point where I had to stay near Kathryn just to keep her from attacking her step mother out of agitation. I looked around at those of us by the hood of the Hyundai, Kathryn just beside me keeping quiet, as we decided what to do. When we finally figured something out, I watched as everyone began to scatter. T-Dog decide he and one or two others were going to head to the river and get some water.

"Hey," I said getting Rick's attention with Kathryn right behind me, "while everyone's washing their panties, Kat and I are going out hunting. That owl didn't exactly _hit the spot_." "Alright be careful out there," he said nodding before glancing to his daughter, "keep an eye on her out there." "Dad I can take care of myself," Kathryn said sending him a smile before kissing his cheek and following me off the road and into the trees. "Why is it every time you get me _alone_ it's to go _hunting_ ," Kathryn asked after a few minutes of walking, causing me to look back at her as she walked behind me. "Because it's a believable excuse for why you're out here with me all alone in the woods," I said smirking back at her as I stopped and placed my crossbow down onto the ground.

I took a few steps towards her, her back instantly making contact with a tree as she stepped back away from me, before I placed my hands on her hips as her own went around my neck. My mouth instantly covered hers, my tongue gaining entrance without any resistance as I pressed in closer to her. My thumb was brushing against the bare skin of her hip where her shirt had ridden up after she tied it. Her hands were tugging on my hair like she'd started doing recently when she enjoyed the little things I was doing at the time. Finally gaining some courage, I slowly moved one of my hands down to the front of her jeans, going straight for the button at the front. As my fingers tugged the button to her jeans loose, she pulled her lips away from mine and turned her head to the side.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"W-what are you doing," I asked, my breathing heavy as I felt his lips move down to my now exposed neck as he finally managed to pop the button on my jeans. "Do you want me to stop," he asked, his lips not moving from my neck as he spoke nor did his hand move either. "No," I said as my eyes closed while his hand moved the zipper to my jeans down before I felt his hand slip in past the barrier of clothes. My breath got caught in my throat the second I felt his calloused fingers graze the skin just under the hem line to my jeans. I held on tighter to the back of his neck as his hands slipped down further until they pushed past my panty line and delved down to place a tantalizing pressure on the bundle of nerves between my thighs.

I bit down on my lower lip to keep the moan that was building up from pouring out louder than it needed to be. This was not the place to get caught by a passing walker with my pants down, figuratively _and_ literally. Sensing my distress in trying to _not_ moan out loud, Daryl moved his lips back to mine as he pressed down harder on my sensitive clit while he rubbed circles around it, faster and faster with each turn of his wrist. Daryl was the first person I've ever gone _this_ far with. I'd kissed several guys before, even had one or two of those heavy make out sessions where you're left wanting more but I've always stopped right there, not wanting to go that far yet. But here I was, standing in the woods with Daryl and his hand down my pants as he brought me closer and closer to my impending release.

With a final flick of his wrist and just the right amount of pressure, my climax overtook me as I moaned into Daryl's mouth, my legs shaking from the pleasure. Daryl's free arm wrapped around my waist as he pulled back from the kiss and slowly pulled his hand from out of my jeans. My eyes were closed as I tried to steady my breathing. I felt Daryl rest his forehead against mine, his breath fanning across my face in a steady rhythmic pace. When I finally managed to pry my eyes open and peer up at him, he was already peering back down at me, his blue eyes seeming to sparkle like he was satisfied with his handy work. Hell I know _I_ was. "We'll have to do this again sometime," he said after a few minutes. I had pulled my hands back from around his neck and was looking down at my feet as a blush slowly covered my cheeks before I looked back up at him.

"Yes we will," I said smiling before looking towards his obvious boner, "and maybe next time I'll be able to return the favor. But for now we need to get back to what we came out here to do, need to prove that we _were_ actually hunting." "Yeah you're right," he said smiling at me as he stepped back while I readjusted my pants, "and don't worry about me. I'll just rub one out later." "Okay I didn't want to know that," I said closing my eyes and shaking my head to rid myself of the mental image, earning me a chuckle from Daryl in return. "C'mon Kat let's go," he said as I watched him pick up his crossbow before leading the way in the direction we were originally headed.


	40. The Prison

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

Daryl and I continued on after our little fun against the tree a while back. Found these tracks no too long ago and decided to follow them, see where they lead us to. We had been walking in silence, trying to find something to bring back to the others for food, when we heard the groaning. Stopping, Daryl held his arm out to stop me from walking further. When he looked back at me, there was an unspoken agreement that we needed to be absolutely quiet so that we could see where the threat was without the threat seeing us. Following closely behind him with his armed crossbow held at the ready, we made our way closer to the sound of walkers. Up ahead we could see a break in the trees to our right and when we got closer, we spotted the source of the noise.

Daryl looked back to me before he looked back towards what we'd found, lowering his crossbow when the threat couldn't reach us even if it did spot us. "That's a shame," he said looking out at the place that once housed so many _bad_ people. We came to a stop about halfway between the opening in the trees, just looking out at the prison that had a yard full of walkers, and probably more on the inside. "Maybe not," I said as I realized something about that, causing Daryl to stop after he'd apparently started walking on. "What do ya mean," he asked looking back at me and watching as I continued to watch the roaming walkers inside the fence. "Those walkers," I said pointing, "they're staying inside the fence. They can't get out. And if they can't get out then more can't get _in_."

"You know something," he said glancing over at me, "you're right." "Of _course_ I'm right," I said smugly as I grinned at him before looking back to the overrun prison, "think about it Daryl, this could be the place we've been looking for this whole time. It could become a place where we wouldn't have to watch our backs _every_ day just to stay alive. We could relax there." "Let's get back to the others," he said looking to the prison once more before looking back to me, "tell your dad what we found. This could be the place we need for Lori to safely have that baby and raise it." "You had to ruin my excitement about the place didn't you," I said playfully glaring at him for mentioning _her_ to me. But I knew he was right, this could be just the place for her to safely deliver the baby and we wouldn't have to watch our backs constantly if it cried.

**DARYL'S** **POV**

After we'd gotten back to the others, informed Rick of what we'd found, and then showed everyone, we found ourselves cutting into the outer fence into the space that separated the prison yard from the outer fence. We watched the walkers on both sides of the fence as Glenn patched up the whole we'd made. Once secure, we started down the path at a jog, Kathryn running right behind me and the rest following after her. I walked in first to make sure there was no threat before lowering my crossbow and walking around the closed in section that used to be a check point for cars entering and exiting the prison. Kathryn had the knife I'd found in one of the houses we searched over the winter in her hand as we all looked around at the field of walkers before us.

"It's perfect," I heard Rick said and glanced over to see him staring out into the field, "if we can shut that gate, prevent _more_ from filling in the yard, we can pick off these walkers. We'll take the field by tonight." "So how do we shut the gate," Hershel asked as everyone looked to him. "I'll do it," Glenn said, "you guys cover me." "No," Maggie said shaking her head, "it's a suicide run." "I _will_ ," Kathryn said stepping up causing everyone to face her. "Kathryn," Rick said going to shake his head but she cut him off. "I want to Dad," she said, "I'm a fast runner, you _know_ that. I was on the track team since my freshman year of high school. Let me do this, _please_."

I watched as Rick took a deep breath, closing his eyes before opening them and nodding as he looked to his daughter. "Alright," he said as she smiled up at him before taking her jacket off and handing it to him. I walked by her as she had her knife clutched between her teeth as she took her hair down out of its loose pony tail and retied it so that it was pulled back in a messy bun. "Be _careful_ ," I whispered to her as I placed my hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at me. She nodded and lowered her hands down from her hair once she had it up and placed her knife in its holster on her hip before pulling out her gun and checking the clip. Rick was telling people where to go, either in one of the towers or along the fencing before walking with his daughter up to the gate while I walked with Carol to a tower for a higher vantage point.

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

"You watch yourself out there," Dad said looking at me as he handed me these two large clips to use on the other gate along with a rifle. I nodded at him as I took the clips and rifle, slinging it onto my back so it was out of my way, taking a couple deep breaths to calm myself down before I looked to him and nodded to show I was ready. I watched as he slowly opened the gate only wide enough for me to slip through before closing it behind me once I had. My hand gun in hand in case I needed it, I snuck around the overturned bus that had been in front of the gate. Not seeing a threat close by to have to worry about, I lowered my gun and began my run up the hill to the other gate on the other side of the field, having faith that those in my group wouldn't allow a walker to get to me.

When I looked to my left after nearly getting to the other gate, I saw a walker going down with an arrow in its head, not realizing it had gotten too close. Looking up towards the towers, I spotted Daryl staring back at me. Nodding my thanks, I quickly turned and ran again, only to stop when a bullet ricocheted off the dirt where my foot was about to land. Looking once again to the tower where Daryl was, I sent a glare towards Carol as I heard her call out a _sorry_. Taking a deep breath, I turned back towards the gate and ran the rest of the way, shooting at a couple of walkers that were getting too close to me. Dropping my gun when I reached the gate, I ran towards it and kicked back one of the walkers reaching for me before quickly putting the clips in place.

Feeling the adrenaline running through me, I quickly turned around and grabbed my discarded gun and began shooting at the walkers that were gaining on me. Running over to the tower right beside me, I quickly opened the door and shot the walker inside before going in and climbing up. "Light it up," I heard a shout just as I reached the top of the tower and had stepped out onto the little landing that went around it. I placed my hand gun back in the waist band of my jeans as the sound of gunshots filled the air while I pulled the rifle over my shoulder that Dad had handed to me. Placing the butt of the rifle to my shoulder, I began shooting along with the others.

When the last walker fell, I looked around to where our group was stationed, the _biggest_ smile on my face for the first time in a while. "Yeah," I shouted out as I raised my fist into the air. Placing the rifle back over my shoulder, I made my way back down to the ground and walked out of the tower. Putting it against the wall, I smiled when I saw the others walking out of the small holding area for cars. When I spotted Dad walking out with Carl and Daryl on either side of him, I couldn't help but run to him and jump into his arms. "We did it," I said laughing as Dad held on tightly to me while I wrapped my legs around him like I did when I was younger.

**DARYL'S** **POV**

"Good job," Rick said as he lowered his daughter back to her feet while she beamed up at him, a smile I don't remember seeing all that often on her face after Amy was bit. I used to see it all the time back near Atlanta when she would be around Glenn and Amy. "Good job Kat," I said placing my hand on her shoulder when she turned her bright smile my way and nodded before wrapping her little brother in a tight hug. "We haven't had this much space since we left the farm," Carol said from beside me as she walked by. I glanced at Carol for a second before my attention went back to Kathryn and her brother just as she was handing Rick her gun. "Not it," she said to Carl as she pushed him away before laughing at his reaction as she ran, him following behind her as she screamed out. This was definitely the place we needed, a place where we could relax and enjoy living again and seeing Kathryn and her brother at that moment, I was glad we found it.


	41. By The Barn

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I hadn't had that much fun today since _before_ Dad got shot and was in a coma. It was dark now, everyone was around our small camp fire except for Dad who was walking the fence and Daryl who was look out on top of the over turned bus. Carl and I sat side by side, well back to back actually as we used each other as a prop to lean against. I sat closer to Glenn and Maggie while he sat closer to his mother. I had just finished eating my share of the squirrel Daryl and I had managed to snag on the way back to the group earlier to tell them about the prison we'd found. "Just like Mom used to make," Glenn said as he finished off his, causing me to laugh while he tossed his bone out into the yard away from the group. I smiled and shook my head when he looked to me before I found myself looking up towards the over turned bus for probably the tenth time since Daryl had been up there.

"I'll be right back," I said as I lightly pushed Carl off of me while I stood up and grabbed a plate for Daryl so he'd get something to eat. As I made my way towards the bus with the plate of food, I looked over towards the fence to see Dad was glancing at me for a moment before he went back to what he was doing. When I made my way around to the other side of the bus, the side that had the tires, I placed the plate up on top before attempting to climb up. I watched as Daryl placed the shoulder strap to his crossbow over his shoulders before he lowered his hand down to me to help me up. "Thanks," I said as I took his hand and he pulled me the rest of the way up. When my feet were planted on the bus, I bent down and picked up the food to hand to him.

"It's not much," I said when he looked down at it as he took it from me, "but I knew if I didn't bring you something over here then you wouldn't eat." "I guess little Shane over there has got quiet the appetite," he said as he picked up a piece of food and dropped it in his mouth. "Oh yeah," I said before looking over at him as we both smirked. When I looked away from him, as he continued to eat, I found myself looking at where Dad was going along the fence. "You alright," Daryl asked, obviously catching my silent stares towards Dad. "Yeah," I said nodding, "it's just, before I walked over here, Carol was still going on about how Dad's gotten us farther than she thought he would. It's pissing me off. Shane could've _never_ done that, he was way too full of himself after the world _ended_."

**DARYL'S** **POV**

" _Hey_ ," I said setting my now empty plate down on the bus before placing my hand on her shoulder so she'd look at me, "Rick's done alright by me, you, your little brother, and everyone _else_ in this group. To hell with what Carol says about Rick. He's the one that got us here, not Shane." I watched as she nodded up at me before looking back as Rick kept walking around the fence. "I never really liked Shane," she said after a few minutes, "ever since I could remember. I've known him all my life and yet the man still creeped me out if I was ever alone with him. Then what happened back on Hershel's farm, with the barn after we found out that Sophia was in there, makes me wonder if me or Dad every _really_ knew him." "Don't think about that," I said causing her to look at me once again but with tears in her eyes that weren't falling yet, "c'mon let's get back to the fire and warm up."

I watched as she nodded before I started making my way down off the bus. "It's pretty romantic over here," she said when I looked back up at her after my feet touched the ground, "hide behind the bus out of sight. Wanna screw around." "Stop," I said as she sat down on the side of the bus giggling, "c'mon." I stepped closer to the bus with my hands up towards her. She scooted closer to the edge and grabbed ahold of my arms before pushing off the bus and allowing me to lower her towards the ground. With her feet planted on the ground next to me, she went to walk off before I grabbed her arm. "Wait," I said causing her to look back at me, "what you did today with doing that run. I didn't like that it was _you_ who did it but I'm proud too for what you did."

Slipping my hand down her arm to her wrist, I gently pulled her closer to me as I placed my free hand on the back of her neck and brought my lips to her for a gentle kiss. It lasted barely a few seconds before I pulled away from her completely and let go of her wrist. "That was," she said seeming to be at a loss of words at that moment, " _different_." "C'mon before they start suspecting something," I said with a deep chuckle before turning her around and pushing her to walk around the side of the bus. As we made our way back to the group, Beth had started singing something, and when I looked to Kathryn beside me she had a smile on her face. Glancing over towards the fence where Rick was last at, I could see him slowly making his way down the small hillside in the field towards the fire as well. I stopped just a little ways from the group but still in the fire light as she walked over to meet her father and wrap him in a hug.

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

"Hi Daddy," I whispered as my arms went around his middle while his arm on the side I was on wrapped around my shoulders. As we walked around to the other side of where Carl now stretched out, he placed a small kiss on the top of my head before crouching down next to Lori. I took my spot back on the other side of Carl, flicking the hat he was wearing when he looked over to me. This earned me a glare in the process as Beth, and now Maggie, finished the song. "We should all turn in for the night," Dad said after a few minutes, "I'll take watch over there. We got a big day tomorrow." "What do you mean," I heard Glenn asked as I looked to Dad curiously. "I know we're all exhausted," he said looking down at his hands before looking up to the rest of us, "but we gotta push just a _little_ bit further." "We're dangerously low on ammo," Hershel said, "we'd run out before we'd make a dent."

"That's why we'll go in hand to hand," Dad said looking around, "after all we've been through, we can handle it, I know it. Kathryn you did good today, I don't want you going in there tomorrow." "Okay," I whispered nodding as he slowly stood to his feet and began walking off away from us. Everyone began moving, setting up where they wanted to sleep for the night, as Lori slowly stood to her feet and followed after Dad. I glanced over my shoulder to see Dad and her talking in hushed tones before Daryl caught my attention as he slowly made his way near where I sat as discreetly as possible, like he wasn't doing anything abnormal. "Here," he muttered after setting his crossbow down.

When I looked up at him confused, I noticed he'd taken off the poncho he's been wearing for a while now. When I didn't say anything or even attempt to take it, he motioned with his hand for me to take it from him, obviously not taking no for an answer. Sighing, I took the poncho from him before moving closer to Carl and laying down next to him. The days were still fairly warm but the nights were getting a bit chilly so when I was beside Carl, I placed the poncho over the both of us as we cuddled together to make sure we stayed warm. This was the beauty of how close Carl and I were before this happened. With one last glance at where Daryl sat a few feet from us, I drifted off into a dreamless sleep. My last thought being on what would happen tomorrow with the small group going into the prison itself to clear it.


	42. Cell Block C

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I was up early with the rest of the group. Dad had chosen the few who were going in for the hand to hand fighting that'd be needed to clear out the rest of the prison. It was him, Daryl, Maggie, Glenn, and T-Dog while the rest of us stayed by the fences and called out to the stragglers that hadn't noticed our group inside the fence with them. It was our job to keep it that way while they continued on further into the prison. When no more walkers were coming towards us at the fence, I watched our group push on further before they disappeared from sight for a moment as they went on. I put the crowbar I had in my hands down and leaned it against the fence before I fixed Daryl's poncho I had decided to put on this morning after we'd woken up. I looked to Carl at the same time he seemed to look to me. "And now we wait," I said causing him to nod.

I stood by the fence watching with the others, waiting for Dad or one of the others that were in that yard to come and tell us it was safe and secure. I let out a breath of relief when I spotted Glenn running back towards where we stood, only for him to stop and look back at Dad when he shouted from him to stop. From where I stood, I couldn't hear what was being said but from the looks of them talking, they were about to push on into the prison. The moment they disappeared through the doors to the building they were near, I walked away from the fence. Pulling Daryl's poncho off as I went, I sat down by our little camp site that we had set up. I had his poncho resting in my lap but I wasn't left to my thoughts for long before I heard footsteps making their way down the hill.

When I looked up, I inwardly groaned when I saw that it was none other than _Lori_ making her way down towards where I sat. "Go away please," I said as I looked back down to my hands that were resting in my lap over Daryl's poncho. "How long are you two planning on sneaking around behind you father's back," she asked, obviously ignoring my request for her to go away. "What _delusion_ have you stepped into this time," I groaned out as I looked up at her, "sneak around with _who_?" "You and Daryl," she said glaring at me, "how long are you going to keep _that_ away from your father?" "I don't know what the hell you're talking about," I said, "and apparently neither do you. There's nothing to tell Dad because there's _nothing_ going on. Now leave me alone!"

I continued to glare at her when she didn't make a move to leave, but my attention went over her shoulder when I spotted Glenn walking down the hill with the others that stayed behind. "C'mon," he said when he grew closer, "get your stuff." " _Finally_ ," I said as I stood to my feet, grabbing my things and the little bit of stuff Daryl had left behind when he went in with the others to clean it of walking corpses. When I stood up with mine and Daryl's things, ignoring the look Lori was giving me, I spotted Maggie walking down the hill next to her father and sister. I took that as meaning Dad, T-Dog, and Daryl stayed inside to clean out any walkers they'd killed. After everyone grabbed their things, Glenn grabbing my dad's stuff as well since Lori couldn't really get it and someone else grabbing T-Dog's, we followed behind him as he led the way into the prison block they'd cleared.

"What do you think," Dad said as we walking into the cell block, him coming down the stairs from the second landing. "Home sweet home," Glenn said with a smart remark as he moved to one of the lower cells, Maggie following behind him. "For the time being," Dad said looking at him before glancing at me as I walked past him towards the stairs he'd just walk down from. "It's secure," I heard Lori asked as I began making my way up the steps, taking notice of where Daryl stood on the upper landing. "This cell block is," Dad said as I finally reached the top. Ignoring the rest of the discussion, I handed Daryl his stuff before I moved on to look through the now empty cells. Some had blood splatter in them, probably from when this place fell with the outbreak.

"We sleep in the cells," I heard Beth ask as I glanced back towards the rest of the group as she looked to my dad unsure. I had no qualms about it, hell it was a _bed_ to sleep in instead of the ground we've been sleeping on. "I ain't sleeping in no cage," Daryl said as I looked over to him when he started talking, "I'll take the perch." I smiled and shook my head, watching as Daryl glanced over at me. I noticed Lori and Carol walking up the steps and moving to the opposite side of where I was still standing. Looking back to the cells in front of me, I moved to the farthest one away from where everybody else decided to hunker down. Before walking into the cell, I caught sight of Daryl grabbing a mattress out of one of the unoccupied cells and placing it on the perch he said he'd sleep on.

Looking away, I stepped inside my chosen cell and looked around. It was pretty standard, a bunk bed, a ledge bolted to the wall to make a desk with a seat that was set up and bolted down underneath it, and a single toilet the inmates had to use. Grimacing at the sight of the toilet, I turned and placed my things on the top bunk of the bunk bed before looking to the bottom bunk. "You settling in alright," a voice said startling me out of my thoughts and causing me to jump. When I looked over to the cell door, I spotted Dad standing there with a small smile on his face. "Yeah," I said nodding as he walked in and sat down beside me. "Figured you'd share with Carl like you've been doing lately," he said causing me to shrug. "I think he'd like his own space now," I said, "it's safe enough we don't really _have_ to buddy up like before."

"Is that why you chose the furthest cell away from everyone else," he asked eyeing me while I felt my cheeks heat up with unneeded embarrassment. "Kind of," I said looking down, "I haven't had privacy in months and this is the best I can get." "It's okay," he said wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me into his side. I missed moments like this, between me and Dad, especially when I was younger. "Get some rest," he said kissing the top of my head before standing to his feet. "Am I going out with you and some others tomorrow if you decide to clean more of the prison out," I asked causing him to stop at the cell door once again. "No," he said looking back and shaking his head, "I'd rather you didn't. I'd be happier knowing you were safe behind these bars okay?" "Okay," I said nodding before he walked out of the cell and down the walkway.

**DARYL'S** **POV**

I watched Rick walk by me on the perch, heading back downstairs to the main level after disappearing into the cell Kathryn had chosen to pick as her own. Watching Rick, I waited until he disappeared into a cell down below before I stood to my feet and made my way over towards the cell Kathryn was in. When I reached the doorway, she was stretched out on the bottom bunk with an arm over her eyes. I leaned against the frame to the cell, watching as she seemed to be oblivious to me standing there. Clearing my throat, I watched as she seemed to jump up from the sudden sound. I smirked as she seemed to send me a glare when her eyes landed on me where I stood. "Any particular reason why you chose the cell furthest away from everyone else," I asked, watching her cheeks immediately turn a shade darker than their natural color.

" _No_ ," she said and looked away, not meeting my eyes. I looked back over my shoulder before turning back to face her and walking into her room. "You sure about that," I asked causing her eyes to snap up to look at me once again. She seemed to have this knowing look in her eyes as she glared up at me. "Is there anything you _need_ Mr. Dixon," she asked, sending me a smirk when it was my turn to send her a glare. "Everyone knows Beth just turned 17," I said as her eyes narrowed in confusion. "Your point is," she said. "My _point_ is," I said still peering down at her, "I have yet to learn when your birthday is. Or if it's even passed yet." "My birthday has not passed yet," she said standing to her feet, "I think my dad would've said something much like Hershel did had it arrived."

"Maybe when it does come," I said looking at her, "you and me could do something. _Alone_. Maybe go out into the woods and spend some time together. Grant it we'll have to bring something back to ease any suspicions about what's _really_ going on." "I didn't peg you as the type to be romantic," she said peering up at me as she placed her hand on my chest and started pushing me out of her cell, "and my birthday is in a few days. Now _go_ before _Lori_ sees you in my cell and tries to start something again." "Alright," I said laughing and stepping out of her cell. "But I'm holding you to that going out into the woods on my birthday part," she said as she poked her head out of her cell. Before I could say anything more, she disappeared back into her cell and all I could do was shake my head before going back to my spot on the perch.


	43. Playing Nice

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I stood against the bars that led into our cell block, watching as Dad, T-Dog, Daryl, and Hershel looked over the items they'd gotten off of the prison guards from yesterday. I watched as they discussed on whether or not to use the gear they'd also gotten off those guards. I lifted my hand to stifle a giggle when I watched Daryl's face contort to one of discuss as the walker slim dripped out of the helmet he had in his hand. When both Dad and Daryl looked to me, I smiled at them while Daryl seemed to roll his eyes before looking back to the helmet in hand. I watched as Daryl sat the helmet back down before picking up one of the police batons and holding it in his hands like a bat before taking a swing with it.

It was my turn to roll my eyes at him as I heard footsteps walking up beside where I stood next to the door. Looking over I spotted Carol as she made herself known. "Hershel," she said as we all looked to her while she nodded with her head, silently asking for him to follow her. "Everything alright," Dad asked causing her to stop as she went to turn around. "Yeah," she said nodding, "nothing to worry about." I rolled my eyes as I watched her turn and walk off, Hershel following after her. If there was nothing to worry about then she wouldn't feel the need to get Hershel and _not_ tell Dad what was going on. "Hey Kat," Daryl's voice called out, getting my attention away from the doorway Carol and Hershel had just disappeared through.

"Yeah," I asked looking at him as Dad did the same. "Why don't you and I take a walk," he said nodding his head towards the door as he picked up his crossbow, "make sure this place is secure enough when we're gone so that y'all are safe." "Okay," I said nodding as I looked to Dad. I walked over to him as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me tightly against him as he rested his head against mine. "Be careful out there," he whispered as he placed a kiss on the top of my head, "watch yourself." "Always," I said smiling at him as I pulled away before following behind Daryl as we made our way out of the cell block and began checking areas that had walkers building up against the fence.

**DARYL'S** **POV**

I glanced over at Kathryn as we walked the small amount of fence that needed to be checked before those of us traveling further into the prison left. "You gonna keep looking at me Mr. Dixon," she asked not even moving her gaze from the direction she was looking in, "or are you going to check the fence like you suggested we do?" I watched as her blue eyes turned to look at me, a smirk crossing her lips as we both came to a stop, completely ignoring the moaning walkers near us trying to reach out to us. "Why do you keep calling me that," I asked while she shrugged. "I don't know," she said smiling, "would you rather I called you _Tarzan_ again?" I sent her a glare while she just stuck her tongue out at me while smiling.

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I liked teasing him, it was fun. And he didn't blow up on me like he might have done had we still been in Atlanta when I teased him like this. "C'mon let's head back in," he said after a few minutes before turning around and leading the way back towards the entrance to cell block c. "Hey Daryl wait," I said running to catch up to him and grabbing his arm, effectively causing him to stop and look back at me. Without hesitation, I leaned up on my tip toes and placed a kiss quickly on the side of his cheek. "Be careful in there," I said when I pulled away and he gave me a confused look, "and look after Dad for me too please."

I watched as he nodded before we turned and walked back into the prison to our cell block to see if they were ready to go. As we walked in, Dad was helping T-Dog put on one of the bullet proof vests and Carl was fiddling around with some of the stuff. "What are you doing," I asked walking over to him smiling as he placed one of the helmets on over his head. "I'm going with them," he said looking up at me as Dad walked over and took the helmet off his head. "I need you to stay put," Dad said looking to Carl before looking at me. "But I wanna help," Carl said looking up at Dad as he looked back to him. "We don't know what's in there," Dad said looking down at him, "something goes wrong, you could be the last man standing. I need you to handle things here."

"Sure," Carl said nodding before Dad smiled and looked around at the others. "Great," he said, "let's go." "Kathryn," Hershel said grabbing my upper arm lightly and pulling me away from everyone as they slowly made their way from where we stood. "Something wrong," I asked looking at him when we stopped and were out of earshot of the others. "I know you and Lori have your differences," he said while I rolled my eyes but stayed to hear what he had to say, "she thinks everyone hates her for putting your dad and Shane at odds months ago. Do you think you could set aside the obvious hatred you have towards her and help her while we're gone? She doesn't have her son or her husband and she feels she's all alone."

"Hershel," I said looking up at him, "I'm only going to agree to do this because I look up to you." "Thank you Kathryn," he said patting my shoulder before turning and walking out of the cell block following the others of our group who were venturing in further. "They'll be okay," Carl said walking up to me after he shut and locked the door behind the group, "you'll see." "I know buddy," I said smiling down at him as I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him in a hug, "I'll be back in a moment okay?" "Where are you going," he asked looking at me confused. "Just upstairs," I said before turning and heading towards the stairs that'd lead me up to the upper landing and towards the room that Lori was staying in by herself.

**LORI'S** **POV**

Carol had gone back down the stairs after getting Hershel. I was left to my own thoughts before I stood out on the balcony watching as Rick and the others left. After they were gone, I went back to my cell and sat down to get off my feet for a while. I stretched out on the bed in the cell to try and relax, and I guess I wasn't paying too much attention because when I looked up there stood Kathryn leaning against my door with her arms crossed. "How're you feeling," she asked as she looked over her shoulder, not making eye contact with me as she spoke. Completely caught off guard, I just simply stared at her until she finally turned back to face me when I never answered.

"I'm alright," I said eyeing her skeptically. "I promised Hershel I'd play nice while they were gone," she said with a shrug, "and besides, I know you and Dad haven't exactly been on talking terms." "It's my fault that we're not," I said looking down to my hands, "I was the reason he had to kill his best friend." "If it makes you feel any better," she said looking down, "I never really liked him anyway. He gave me the creeps. Then he pulled that stunt back on the farm." "I _never_ thought he'd do something like that," I said shaking my head as she looked up at me. "Neither did Dad," she said with a shrug, "guess he was pushed to the point where he didn't care anymore." "He never did get that far with you right," I asked as I looked up at her.

"No," she said shaking her head, "Daryl stopped him just before he could. But it was too damn close for comfort." " _That_ _close_ ," I asked and she nodded. "Put it this way," she said as she looked over her shoulder again in an attempt to not have to look at me while she spoke, "that was the first and only time Daryl ever saw me naked from the waist down. After beating the shit out of Shane, he didn't even _peek_ as he helped me get my pants back on. And honestly, at that point I wouldn't have cared, I was still too freaked out from almost being raped by Shane. I don't know what you saw in him Lori, I really don't. But I hope now after all this time, and after what he tried to do to me and then Dad, that you know he wasn't who you thought he was." With that being her final word, she turned and walked out of my cell, leaving me to my thoughts once again. I actually just had a decent conversation with Kathryn, _without_ her dad around.


	44. The Inmates

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

It's probably been an hour or two since the group went out into the rest of the prison. Honestly, how the hell knows anymore, time is nearly non-existent nowadays. I was sitting on the steps next to Carl, just having a brother-sister moment between the two of us as I snatched his hat off his head before ruffling his hair as I placed the hat on my head. "Give it back," he said laughing as he reached for the hat while I pulled my head back away from him. We were having a good laugh, enjoying ourselves like we normally do when suddenly we heard shouting. " _Open the door_ ," came Dad's voice as both Carl and I sobered up quickly before dashing towards the door, "it's Hershel! Carl! Come on!" "Oh God," I said as everyone else ran towards us while Dad and the others rushed in with Hershel on some sort of wheeled table.

I watched as they rushed Hershel towards a cell, everyone following behind as I looked around. "Where's Daryl," I said looking when I didn't see him, automatically fearing the worst. I look at the faces around the cell where they took Hershel, but I don't see Daryl, _anywhere_. "Dad," I said, "where's Daryl?!" I could feel the panic rising in my chest as I looked around while everyone scurried in and out of the cell with Hershel in it. Just before the panic could completely consume me, I finally heard his voice echoing around the cell block. "That's far enough," I heard him say and without thinking about _who_ he could've been talking to, I ran for the closed door that lead into the housing part of the cell block.

I pulled the door open and bolted out but froze in my spot when I spotted Daryl aiming his crossbow at these men in prison jumpsuits. " _Kat_ _get back with the others_ ," Daryl's voice cut through my mind but I was still frozen with fear and I could feel my body shaking. All I could do was stare at the men as the newcomers stared back at me like I was a piece of meat and they were starving. "Today's you're lucky day fellas," Daryl's voice said cutting through my mind once again and finally snapping me out of my trance long enough to look over at him as he peered back at the men in front of us, "you've been pardoned by the state of Georgia. You're free to go." "What you got going on in there," the head man I presume, asked causing me to looking back in his direction as I slowly stepped closer to Daryl.

"It ain't none of your concern," Daryl said slowly, keeping his crossbow trained on the leader's head as he spoke. "Don't be telling me what's my concern," the guy said stepping forwards as he pulled out a gun, causing me to squeak out in fear as I stepped closer to Daryl while he stepped away from the table and moved to where his body was in front of me. "Kathryn," I heard my dad's voice at the same time I heard the door to the cells opening and closing before he ran out and put himself between me and the dangerous men before us. I could still feel myself shaking as he wrapped his arms around me before pushing me back towards the cells. "Go back in there," he whispered, "go back where it's safe." I looked up at him scared but I could see the worry in his eyes. Nodding, I quickly turned and ran back into the area with the cells where everyone else stood.

**DARYL'S** **POV**

I kept glancing over my shoulder, trying to keep an eye on Kathryn as she stood behind me. But when her father ran out, I was grateful that he managed to get her out of the line of fire with these men. "There's no need for this," Rick said as he walked forwards after Kathryn was safely back with the others. "How many of you in there," the one with the gun asked, the same one who'd been eyeing Kathryn behind me like she was a piece of meat. "Too many for you to handle," Rick said. "You guys rob a bank or something," he asked as he looked back and forth between Rick and me, "why don't you take him to a _hospital_?"

Rick and I share a look before looking back to the men in front of us. "How long have you been locked in that cafeteria," Rick asked looking at them curiously. "Going on like ten months," the guy said as he eyed the two of us. "We were thinking that the Army or the National Guard should be showing up any day now," a guy in the back of the group said as I looked to Rick again. "There is no _Army_ ," Rick said looking at the men, "there's no government, no hospitals, no police. It's all gone." "You got a cell phone or something we can use to call our families," the same one that mentioned the Army asked stepping forwards. "You just don't get it do you," I asked as I kept my crossbow up. "No phones," Rick said shaking his head, "no computers. As far as we can see, at least _half_ the population has been wiped out. Probably more."

"Ain't no way," the guy said looking between the two of us. "See for yourself," Rick said and motioned to the door that led out of the cell block and into the courtyard. They walked out first, shielding their eyes from the sun like they hadn't seen it in quite some time. And I guess they hadn't, being locked in that cafeteria nearly ten months. "Damn this sun feels good," one said as they continued to walk out into the yard. "They're all dead," another said as he looked down at the dead inmates as we made our way to the center of the courtyard. "Who was that girl," the leader said as he looked back to me and Rick. I felt myself stiffen and the mention of Rick's daughter, and when I looked too Rick, he seemed to be just as tense as me now.

"She's none of your concern," Rick said, his hand tightening around the handle of his gun. I watched as a couple heads before us turned to look at something behind us. Glancing over my shoulder, I realized what it was that had their attention. There stood Kathryn, in the caged in area where the steps are that lead into the cell block. She had her fingers threaded through the wiring for the fence as she stared at where we were. "Dammit," I muttered as I nudged Rick to get his attention. When he looked at me, I pointed back to where his daughter was standing. I heard him muttering some things under his breath as he went to turn and walk towards her. "I'll get her," I said placing my hand on his shoulder to stop him. When he looked to me, he nodded before I moved my hand from his shoulder and began walking towards Kathryn.

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I watched as Daryl made his way towards me, and judging by the look on his face as he drew closer, I could tell he was pissed. Backing away from the fence, I turned to face the entrance to the area I was in as he made his way towards me. "The hell you doin' out here," he growled out as he grabbed my upper arm with his free hand as he pulled me towards the door for the cell block. "I'm sorry," I said, "I just wanted to see what was going on." "Kat I know you like to help," he said once we were inside and stopped in the area where there were tables for this block, "but those men are _dangerous_. Stay in there and out of sight of those men. If not for me then do it for your dad Kat."

I sighed as I looked down before looking back up and over towards where the cells were. "Okay," I whispered out as I looked back up at him. "Go back in there and help," he said looking down at me as I peered up into his blue eyes, "help with Hershel. Keep Beth and Carl distracted if anything." "So now I have to play babysitter," I asked, cracking a small smile as I saw amusement in his blue eyes when I said that. "Just for a little while," he said smiling. "You _owe_ me for this," I said as he began to grin. "We'll discuss later how I can pay you back then," he said smiling before his face went back to a serious look as he looked over my shoulder. When I looked back, there stood Dad. "C'mon Daryl," Dad said looking at him, "we got something to do." "Right," Daryl said before glancing back at me just before he walked around me and followed Dad and the prisoners.


	45. Hershel

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

When I walked back into the portion with the cells, I immediately went to Maggie as she stood by the cell door staring inside. "Maggie," I whispered, causing her to turn around. When she looked at me, she had tears in her eyes. I moved closer to her at a faster pace before wrapping her into a tight hug as she began crying into my shoulder. "He's going to be okay," I whispered as I hugged her tightly, "you'll see. Your father's strong. He'll pull through this." I looked over to the cell door as I held onto Maggie, spying Glenn standing there looking back and forth between where we stood and where Hershel laid on the bed unconscious. I held my arm out that was closest to him, waiting for him to come join us. When he did, he had his arms around both Maggie and me, and had placed his head on my other shoulder.

They were both taking this hard, we all were, and I could hear Carol and Lori in the cell talking as they tried to get the bleeding to stop. I pulled away from Maggie and Glenn, looking at the two before looking to where my bed was upstairs. "I'm going to go upstairs," I whispered, "if you need me I'll be in my cell." I squeezed Maggie's hand, to try and be reassuring, before letting go and going up to where my cell was. When I got to the landing and walked all the way down to my cell, I glanced back to see Glenn and Maggie hugging and whispering, probably about Hershel. Before I even had a chance to make it back into my cell, Carl was opening the main door to the cells as T-Dog and Dad walked in, each carrying something in their arms.

"Whatcha got," I called down with a smile as I leaned against the railing and watched them. "Canned beef," he called up, "canned corn, canned _cans_." That last one he started shaking his head, causing me to laugh as he walked underneath where I was standing to an empty cell. I could hear Dad and Lori talking again, a whispered conversation about those inmates would be my guess. Turning from the railing, I walked into my cell and laid down on my bed as I heard movement moving away from me and walking out of the cell block once more. I knew now, all I could do was wait and hope that Dad, Daryl, and T-Dog would be okay with those men.

It was probably close to an hour before I heard the sound of Beth shouting for help. When I made it down to the bottom of the stairs and ran to the cell Hershel was in, they were pulling Lori back away from him as he gasped out. I looked down at Carl in front of me and saw he had his gun pointed at Hershel. When I looked back up at the old man, his eyes were closed and he was snoring slightly like he was asleep. Placing my hands on his arms, I slowly lowered his gun until he wasn't aiming it anymore. I wrapped my arm around Carl's shoulders and pulled him against me as I rested my head on top of his while we just stared at where Hershel was laying. At one point, Glenn came back but Carol was still out doing whatever it was she left to do.

I was leaning against one side of the cell opening, Carl leaning against me, and Glenn was on the other side of the opening. We heard the metal door to this part of the block opening and closing, and when we looked over towards the door, Dad was walking in with the others. "Hershel stopped breathing," Carl said looking to Dad as he drew closer to us, "Mom saved him." "It's true," I said nodding as Dad looked up at me. He nodded and walked into the cell with T-Dog behind him. Daryl stopped just behind me, resting his arm on the bars for part of the cell wall for the door. I glanced back at him and smiled before looking back into the cell just as everyone moved closer to the bunk Hershel was laying in.

**DARYL'S** **POV**

Hershel was going to make it. He finally opened his eyes after Rick, T-Dog, and myself made it back from dealing with those prisoners. It was dark now, and Rick had designated Kat and me to be on watch duty tonight. So here we were, in the guard tower closest to the prison, sitting on the landing as we faced the woods. "I'm really glad Hershel's going to be okay," Kat said as she leaned back against the wall to the top of the tower. "We _all_ are," I said nodding as I looked over at her. "I like moments like this," she said after a few minutes, "when it's so _quiet_ out." "Reminds me of the farm," I said nodding as I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. "Can I tell you something," she asked quietly, "and you not get freaked out or _mad_ at me?" "Depends on _what_ ," I said with a smirk before opening one eye and looking over at her.

I could see her cheeks were turning a light shade of red in the moon light, which automatically caught my attention for whatever she had to say. "So back when I got shot," she started out quietly as she didn't look at me, "um, that day you guys finally arrived onto the farm. When I went back inside after you asked me how I was doing. I tried to go to sleep since I'd stayed up all night worrying more about Carl than myself. I, um, I had a dream with you in it." The red darkened in her cheeks as she still refused to make eye contact with me. "Just what _kind_ of dream," I asked as I tried to get her to look at me while I turned my body so that I could give her my full attention. I watched as she peered at me from the side of her vision before pulling her knees up to her chest and burying her face in them to try and hide from me.

"C'mon Kat," I said placing my hand on her shoulder, " _tell_ me." "It's weird though," she said as she looked at me. "I'll be the judge of that," I said, "now tell me." " _Fine_ ," she said with a sigh, "so the dream I had with you in it. It was a, um, it was a _wet_ dream." "A _wet dream_ ," I asked as I felt my eyes widen while her blush continued to darken. "Yeah," she said nodding, "you know." "I know what a wet dream is Kat," I said to get her to stop because she was obviously making herself uncomfortable, "just what _happened_ in the dream?" "Um," she said as she looked away from me, "we didn't get _far_. I mean, I woke up before it got to the part where we had sex." I stared at her as she still refused to look at me. "So if you hadn't woken up," I said, "we would've had sex? And this was back when we _first_ got onto the farm?"

"Yeah that's about right," she said nodding as she finally looked over at me, "is it bad I want to know if your mouth is as good in person as it was in my dream?" "Would you like to find out _now_ ," I said smirking at her as I leaned forward before capturing her lips with my own. I watched as her eyes closed before I closed mine, my arm moving to wrap around her as she turned to face me. Pulling her closer, as we were still sitting on the balcony to the tower, she moved to straddle my hips. Both my hands moved to her waist, holding her there as her own hands moved up to rest on my shoulders. Before too long, I pulled away as stared at her blue eyes. "Inside the tower," I said, " _now_." "Why," she asked confused as she stood up. "Because we're about to see if I'm as any good in that dream of yours as I am in person," was all I said before I pushed her towards the door and followed her inside.


	46. The Tower

**KATHRYN’S** **POV**

Daryl and I had brought up a mattress from inside the prison for if one of us wanted to rest our eyes during watch, and now I think it was a good thing we did bring it up here as he pushed me back onto the small mattress on the floor. Peering up at him, I locked eyes with him as he towered over me, a stern expression on his face like he was determined to prove that he was better in person than in some little _dream_ I’d had back on the farm. I watched as he knelt down on the mattress with me, his hands immediately going for my shorts. Leaning back on my elbows, I watched as he began to strip me. Making quick work with ridding me of my shorts and underwear at the same time, I was reminded of what had happened months ago in the barn on the farm, that being the first and only time he’d _possibly_ seen me this naked.

Sensing my discomfort, he stopped what he was doing and looked up at me. “Do you want to stop,” he asked as he peered at me with his blue eyes. Taking a deep, steady breath and pushing back those images of Shane trying to rape me, I looked back up at Daryl as he waited patiently for my answer. “ _No_ ,” I said with my own determination set in mind. I wanted this, and I wasn’t going to let the memory of what Shane did to me prevent me from doing what I wanted. Nodding, he leaned forward and kissed me hard, pushing my legs apart in the process as he knelt between them. Pulling back from me, he pushed himself away until he was able to easily look down at the area between my thighs that was normally kept hidden from the view of others. I watched as his eyes grew darker before finally lowering down until he kissed the area of my lower abdomen, making his way downwards slowly until he found his destination.

The sun was just coming up over the horizon when I opened my eyes. I had been curled up on the mattress while Daryl was standing in the open doorway to the outer landing for the tower. “Why’d you let me sleep,” I asked groggily as I rubbed my eyes but didn’t sit up quite yet. “You were tired,” he said, a smirk playing on his face, acting damn _proud_ because he was the reason why I was tired in the first place. “Asshole,” I muttered before stretching on the mattress as I tried to wake my body up. I was in nothing more than my tank and my panties as I slowly sat up on the mattress. Memories of what happened last night in this tower causing a blush to creep up onto my cheeks. Shaking them away so I could face my dad and the others without worrying I’d give away what happened, I looked around the floor of the tower for my shorts.

Finding them on the other side of the mattress, ironically placed where I’d have to bend over with my backside towards Daryl, I reached for them while being well aware of the fact that he was staring at my ass. “Stare all you want Dixon,” I muttered as I grabbed the rest of my clothing, “but you ain’t getting any this morning.” I heard him let out a chuckle while I pulled my shorts back on and stood to my feet after lacing up my boots. I walked over to where he stood, the cool morning air hitting my skin and causing goosebumps to rise up on the exposed surfaces of my arms and legs. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath of the morning air, relaxing my muscles that were tense from sleeping on just a mattress on the floor for a few hours last night. “I’m going to go visit Hershel,” I said after a few minutes into the silence, “think you can manage watch alone until Glenn and Maggie come to relieve you?” “Go on,” he said nodding for me to go. I smiled up at him before I made my way down and towards the cell block.

I spent a little while with Hershel, keeping him company while everyone else did something, before I went and found Carl outside. I could see Glenn and Maggie up in the tower, having relieved Daryl of the watch duty we’d had together last night. Maggie smiled when she spotted me out in the field, waving slightly when she did. I waved back in reply before looking around the field Carl and I were sitting in. I didn’t see Daryl inside, before I came out here to find my brother, and I didn’t see him now as I took in my surroundings. Wondering where he could be, I figured he was just out hunting, looking for some kind of meat for us to eat with all the supplies Dad had received from the prisoners before he helped them get their own block on the other side of the prison.

“You looking for Daryl,” Carl’s voice snapped through my thoughts, causing me to look over at him in surprise. “How’d you know,” I asked cautiously. “You’re always looking for him when you look around at our surroundings quietly like that,” he said looking up at me, “do you like him or something Kathryn?” “He’s good company,” I said as I avoided directly answering that question, “and he saved me back on the farm. And numerous times before that too.” “You’ve been spending _a lot_ of time with him lately though Kathryn,” he said, “after we lost the farm especially.” “He’s been teaching me how to hunt and track is all,” I said with a shrug before laying back on the grass of the field and looking up at the sky above. It was still warm today but you could definitely tell the days were getting colder as winter approached once again.

I felt Carl lay down beside me, and when I glanced over at him, he too was staring up at the sky. “What do you think will happen to Mom if Hershel can’t help her deliver the baby,” he asked out of the blue, causing me to look over at him. “I don’t know,” I whispered as he turned his head to me, “but Hershel’s still alive with us right now. I’m sure he’ll be able to help your mother with the baby when she’s ready to deliver it. Don’t worry so much buddy, you’re still just a kid.” “You’re a _kid_ too,” he said looking at me, a smile growing on his face. “No I’m not buddy,” I said laughing before rolling to face him and started tickling him. “ _Stop_ ,” he shouted as he started laughing, “Kathryn stop! I can’t breathe!” I finally stopped tickling him and smiled as we both were breathing heavily and smiling like idiots. “You gonna call me a _kid_ again,” I asked smirking at him as I held my hands up as a warning, showing I’d do it again if he gave the wrong answer.

“ _No_ ,” he said laughing harder when I made a move to tickle him again when he didn’t answer me. “Wise answer little brother,” I said smiling at him as I pulled him into a tight hug. “Kat,” I heard from behind me. Even if I didn’t hear the _voice_ I still knew who it was. There was only one person in the group who started calling me _Kat_. Looking over my shoulder behind me, I saw Daryl standing there with his crossbow over his shoulder as he looked down at me and Carl. “Yeah,” I asked looking up at him, memories of last night flooding my mind and causing my cheeks to warm up. “Goin’ huntin’,” he said nodding towards the trees beyond the fence, “coming along?” “Sure,” I said nodding before looking to Carl, “you behave for Dad and the others.” “ _Yes mom_ ,” he said sarcastically, earning a shove in the shoulder from me before I stood to my feet and followed Daryl away from the yard we were in and through the fence, heading straight for the trees to being our hunt.


	47. T-Dog

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I spent most of my time the following week with Hershel. Other than that day I went hunting with Daryl and then our night in the tower the night before, I didn't spend much time with him as I tried to help care for the old man who was injured. We'd give each other passing glances, no one paid any mind to them, but that was all we ever did since that night. Now here I stood, up at the edge of the main prison courtyard, watching as Dad and the others moved the bus and then the cars we'd been traveling in since we'd left the farm months ago. I stood in the opened gate, my arms crossed just under my chest as I watched them. I could hear them talking, but from where I stood I couldn't make out what they were saying. At one point, they all were looking in the direction I stood, Daryl pointing this way before suddenly he started shouting out.

"Glenn," he shouted, "Maggie!" "Hey," I heard Glenn's nervous voice from above me, "what's up guys?" I looked up to the upper part of the tower, instantly remembering what happened between me and Daryl when we'd been up there ourselves. "You coming," Daryl called out and even where I stood I could hear the laughter from the others in the group that were down there. "What," I heard Glenn asked. Maybe I was just a hormonal teenager, or a dirty minded one, but when Daryl asked that my head went where it shouldn't have. "You comin'," Daryl repeated as I covered my mouth with my hand to muffle my laughter since Glenn didn't realize I was down there. I glanced back up again and watched as Glenn seemed to have a confused look on his face from Daryl's question. All I could think while I was trying to keep from laughing was _poor Glenn_.

"C'mon we could use a hand," Daryl said as he and the others slowly turned away from the tower, obviously laughing as their shoulders shook. "Yeah we'll be right down," Glenn hastily replied before I heard the door to the upper section of the tower close. I smiled and shook my head, knowing Daryl probably enjoyed that _way_ too much. I watched Dad, Carol, and Daryl walk away but T-Dog was watching something behind me. At that second I heard movement just behind me and when I looked back, there were two of the prisoners who'd been with that group of survivors that had been locked in the cafeteria. Freaking out slightly as they drew closer, I quickly ran down the path to T-Dog just as I heard him call out to my Dad. I stopped just behind T-Dog as I watched Dad turn to face us before looking up towards where I had been standing, the smile on his face falling instantly.

We walked up the hill towards the prisoners, me behind Daryl enough where I'd be out of harm's way if something were to happen cause a fight between them and the people I was with. I could hear Dad talking with them, those two trying to plead their case with the living arrangements they had, but I wasn't listening. Just like on the farm the night we lost it, I found my hand in Daryl's as I waited to see what was going to happen with these prisoners. Daryl gave my hand a squeeze before he dropped it, just as my dad turned around to look at the both of us, more or less at Daryl. I watched as Daryl shook his head no to answer an unvoiced question from Dad. As our group turned to walk away from those men, to discuss what I hadn't been paying attention to, I felt Daryl's hand on the upper part of my back around my shoulders.

**DARYL'S** **POV**

I shut those men in the search area for the cars that'd enter the prison grounds before walking back to the others as they discussed what to do with them. I found myself next to Kathryn who stood next to her Dad. She stayed quiet, as everyone else spoke what they thought about the prisoners. Eventually it was decided, we'd give them enough provisions for a week, after that they were on their own. After it was decided, we began to move the cars. Maggie, T-Dog, and Carol began moving to the cars while Rick, Glenn and myself headed towards the fence to get firewood. "Dad I'm going to help move the cars," Kat said looking to Rick. She smiled as he nodded before she made her way towards the others and climbed into the driver seat of one of the vehicles.

I stood watch outside of the fence, keeping an eye on the walkers nearby, as Glenn and Rick gathered the firewood to burn the corpses in the field so that we could begin to plant the crops there like Hershel had suggested. As I held the fence open where we'd first entered into the prison open for Glenn and Rick as they had arms full of timber each, I couldn't help but glance back and watch as T-Dog helped Kathryn back up the truck that belonged to Hershel. I glanced away from the truck long enough to see Hershel walking out with Lori, Carl, and Beth by his side. "Looky here," I said as my attention stayed up to where they were at. Off to the side, I could just make out Kat getting out of the truck and walking around to the front of it, her hands in the butt pockets to the jeans she was wearing as she watched the people ahead of her as well.

"He is one _tough_ son of a bitch," Glenn said smiling back at me as he threw down his pile of wood before looking back to the prison, " _alright Hershel_!" "Shh," I whispered harshly before pointing back behind us, "keep your cheers down." "Man," he groaned, "can't we have just _one_ good day?" I watched as Rick stared at his wife before suddenly, something caught my attention that shouldn't have been there. " _No_ ," Rick shouted, the both of us running towards the gate that led out of the dog run we were in. More walkers were pouring into the yard as we ran, Glenn trailing behind me as he had to stop and fix the gate before he could move on with us. " _Lori_ ," Rick shouted as he ran as fast as he could, " _Carl! Kathryn!_ " As I ran, keeping pace with Rick, I could see Kat pulling out the gun she'd found back on the farm and began helping to fire at the onslaught of walkers.

"The lock," Rick shouted as he and I skidded to a halt to wait for Glenn to catch up with the keys. I dropped my crossbow as Glenn tossed them to me, then I moved on to toss them to Rick before picking up my crossbow once more and running after him. Glenn ran around me, catching up to Rick as we reached the first lock. By the time we reached the second, Rick's hands seemed to be shaking badly as he tried to find the key to that lock. "C'mon," I said as I watched Kat, T-Dog, and Carol disappear into the prison after T-Dog got bit trying to close the opened gate. I was bouncing on my toes, anxious to get to Kat before a walker did. Running up the hill once we were through the gate, we began to take down the walkers that were now swarming the courtyard.

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

"T-Dog your arm," I said once we were inside the tombs, no sign of anymore walkers and we were taking a moment to catch our breaths. "I'm alright," he said before pushing off the wall he'd been leaning against, "there's a set of double doors that'll lead to a corridor. That'll get you two back to our cell block." "You should _stop_ ," Carol said as she reached for T-Dog. "I'm getting you both there," he said ignoring her. " _Stop_ ," I said as I felt tears welling up in my eyes. "Why," he asked leaning against a wall again and looking at the two of us, "sit here and wait to die? Uh-uh." I walked after the two of them, the blaring alarms that started moments ago already giving me a headache.

I could hear Carol barely as she tried to tell T-Dog that she wouldn't let him become a walker. "This is God's plan," he said holding his shoulder where the bite was, "He'll take care of me. Always has. He's gonna help me lead you and Kathryn out of these tunnels." I followed behind, eventually Carol having to help keep T-Dog on his feet. I kept up, keeping my eyes open as I held my gun in my hand in case we found more walkers ahead. "We're almost there," T-Dog said as we rounded another corner but were met with a couple more walkers. I stepped forwards, aiming my gun and pulling the trigger, but all that happened was it making a clicking sound. " _Fuck_ ," I whispered out harshly. "T-Dog go back," Carol said trying to push him back.

"No," he said fighting her, "we're close. _We're close_!" " _No_ ," I screamed out as he pulled away from Carol, running straight for the two walkers and body slamming them against the wall as he held them there. "Go," he shouted looking back at us, " _go_!" I grabbed Carol's arm, dragging her around T-Dog and the walkers before we stopped at the double doors and looked back at him. "Go," he shouted again, "I'm _already_ dead!" With tears falling down my cheeks, I grabbed her hand and pulled her through the doors. We made it to a second of corridor that went off in two different directions before we heard the growls behind us. Freaked out too much to think properly, I let go of Carol's hand, running the opposite direction as her. All I heard were the growls from the walkers, and Carol's shouting that I was going the wrong way.


	48. Little Ass-Kicker

**DARYL’S** **POV**

She was gone. She needed me to protect her and I wasn’t there, now she’s just gone. We went in, looking for the others in the tombs, looking to see if they found a place to hide. All that was left of T-Dog was two walkers and a bloodied form too disfigured to know who it was. The only way we could tell was because of it being bigger than it would’ve been had it been either Kat or Carol. When we made it back out to the courtyard, I was looking around as Rick talked with Hershel. Saying we were going back in to look for Lori, Carl, and Maggie too. But he stopped talking the second a baby’s cries reached our ears. When we all turned around, there was Carl and Maggie, with a little baby but no Lori. That was a double blow for Rick, he’d just lost his eldest, and now he learnt that he lost his wife too.

And that’s what led me to what I’m doing now, looking for formula for the baby to eat with Maggie’s help. We _just_ lost several members of our group, we weren’t loosing this little girl too. Before we left, Rick had disappeared into the prison, this determination and anger in his eyes. There wasn’t anything we could do at the moment, that baby was more important than chasing a man who seemed to be losing his mind after losing his wife and eldest daughter. Maggie and I came across this daycare, seemed like a good place to look for something for a baby to eat. As Maggie looked around for the things we would need, and I kept watch around us, I spotted some names along the wall to one of the rooms we were in. I had to look away the minute I saw Kat’s name.

Glancing over at Maggie, I could see she was looking at me with a sad expression. “Everything will be okay Daryl,” she said. I scoffed before walking on, looking into other rooms as I walked down one hallway and she went down another. Finding the formula we needed in the kitchen to the daycare, we quickly left out of the building and got back on my bike, heading back home to the prison. When we made it inside, you could hear the baby crying as she was obviously hungry. Maggie walked over to another table, calling her sister to follow her, while I walked over to where Carl sat with his new baby sister in his arms. Pulling my poncho off and placing it on the bench beside him, leaning my crossbow up against the seat on his other side, I knelt down in front of the kid. “How she doin’,” I asked as he looked up at me with sad eyes.

**CARL’S** **POV**

“I don’t know,” I stuttered out as I looked up at him while he knelt down and looked at the baby in my arms. I was still trying to come to terms with what Beth told me, that my sister was gone too. “How’re _you_ holdin’ up,” Daryl asked as he looked at me. I could see the sadness in his eyes and I believe he was referring to Kathryn more than Mom. I didn’t say anything, I just looked down at my sister in my arms as she continued to cry. “Shh,” Daryl cooed at her as he held his arms out, wanting to hold her. I awkwardly handed her over to him, having never really held a baby before. After having her securely held in his arms, he stood up before looking over to Beth as she held the bottle with formula in it. “C’mon,” Daryl cooed out after taking the bottle and holding it to where she could drink from it, “c’mon.”

Slowly, she stopped crying as she began drinking from the bottle. I watched as Daryl slowly rocked her back and forth as he held her in his arms, a small smile on his face as he looked up and looked around at all of us. “She got a name yet,” Daryl asked, looking straight at me. My face instantly fell as I wasn’t sure of what to name her yet. “Not yet,” I said looking down at the ground for a second, “but I was thinking maybe Sophia. Then there’s Carol too. And Andrea, Amy, Jacqui, Patricia, Lori, or Kathryn. I don’t know.” I looked down after that, after mentioning my mother’s and sister’s name. Honestly, I didn’t know what to name my little sister.

**MAGGIE’S** **POV**

The minute Carl mentioned Kathryn’s name, my eyes instantly went to Daryl. His face fell the second he heard her name. I knew how close Daryl and Kathryn got since we lost the farm, she had confided in me a few days later when it was just the two of us going out to get some supplies for the group. But Daryl instantly put back on his emotionless mask before anyone else could see his change in mood and looked back down at the infant in his arms. The second he looked down at the baby in his arms, that small smile for before returned to his face. “Yeah,” he cooed down at her, “you like that? Huh? Little Ass-Kicker.” His face lit up slightly as he lifted his head, smiling at the rest of us while we laughed at the name he decided to give the baby.

“Right,” he said looking around at us, “that’s a good name, right?” I felt Glenn wrap his arm around my shoulders, causing me to lean into him as I continued to watch Daryl holding the infant in his arms. If Kathryn could be here to see this, see Daryl holding her little sister in his arms, I think she’d be proud to see him like this. Regardless of the fact that Lori died while having the baby, I think it would’ve been better on Carl than him losing both his mother and sister, and then his father running off as he wasn’t in his right mind finding out he’d lost Kathryn and Lori in the same day. I tuned back into Daryl talking as he continued to rock the little girl in his arms while feeding her. “You like that,” he asked, “huh? You like that sweetheart?”

**DARYL’S** **POV**

I couldn’t sleep that night. I actually found myself in the cell that had belonged to Kat after a while. So I just sat there, on her bunk, looking at all of her things that were laying along the floor and by the built in desk on the wall. I still couldn’t believe she was truly gone, she had been such a fighter since the start of all this. But I had also been near her every time she was in trouble. I was _always_ there to rescue her. Hell, I may not have liked her in the beginning, but that day I came back and her father was in our camp back in Atlanta, when she threatened me for attacking her father was when I knew she was strong. I guess that was why I didn’t allow her to be eaten by the walkers that night when the herd attacked our camp. I could’ve, I could’ve let her fend for herself, but I didn’t.

By dawn the next morning, I was making my way out into the field where we buried our fallen group members. I walked out to the graves, looking at each one until the one on the very end caught my attention. Carl must’ve come out at one point after they dug the graves and filled them back in with something that belonged to the person we lost and wrote her name on the cross. Either he did or Glenn. I didn’t even know how Glenn was taking all of this. He and Kat had been real close since her first night in camp back in Atlanta. Pushing that thought aside, I walked up to the last grave that belonged to her and knelt down, placing my hand on the handmade cross. “I’m sorry Kat,” I whispered before standing to my feet and walking off, away from the graves and out into the woods.


	49. The Tombs

**DARYL'S** **POV**

It's been two days since that guy let lose all those damn walkers in our prison. It's been two days since my Kat was taken away from me. Carol found her way back the day before, informing us all that Kat had been alive when she last saw her after T-Dog sacrificed himself to help them get away from the walkers on their tails. But then Kat panicked and went the wrong way when they were so close to the cell block. I've kept to myself since she was presumed dead, and the group's began to take notice. They've asked me to do small things and I've simply snapped back at them. I don't want anything to do with anyone right now, because they keep asking if there was something that I'm not telling them because of how I'm reacting to Kat's loss.

I haven't exactly ate much in the last few days. I'd merely get my food and go back up to her cell to sit and eat, or I just wouldn't eat at all. I wasn't in the mood to do _shit_ , and I sure as hell wasn't in the mood for all the questions I was being asked. Most of the time, I spent the day out in the woods. It was when I came back from walking in the woods when I found out Carol had made her way back to us. I knew Kat was last in the tomb, and I had to go down there and find her. Whether I was looking for a dead body, or a walker, I wasn't sure but I knew I had to find her and give her the proper burial she needed. When I heard that Oscar and Carl were going into the tombs to clear it out, I volunteered to help. Everyone was shocked that I was finally doing something, but they didn't say shit to me about it.

This morning, before we headed for the tombs, Rick showed up all covered in walker blood and looking mentally and physically exhausted. I think I was in the same boat as him, I could sleep well at night when all I'd see was Kat's red hair and blue eyes. It wasn't an hour after Rick went back down into the boiler room when Oscar, Carl, and myself headed down into the tombs to begin sweeping for stragglers. Not too far from the door to the cell block, we came across a door slowly pushing itself open and then closing back. "Check it out man," Oscar said behind me as he aimed his flashlight at it, "must have missed it last night." "It's probably just one or two of 'em," I said as I poked at the door, "don't look they got much fight."

I paused for a second, looking away from the door and to where Carl stood ahead of us slightly. He wasn't looking at us, like he had something on his mind. "They ain't goin' nowhere," I said looking back to the door then to Oscar, "we'll take care of it on the way back." I walked up to the kid, he was staring off into the long halls of the tombs with this blank expression on his face that he's had pretty much since we lost those in our group. It only soured more when Carol came back and told us that she lost Kat down here. "C'mon," I said nudging his shoulder before nodding off in the direction to head once he looked at me. We slowly started walking, me glancing back toward Oscar before looking ahead again with my flashlight up so I could see. Carl's been about the only one who didn't pester me after we lost his sister, of course he seemed to be in the same state of mind as I was.

"You know my mom," I started off as I looking through each of the cells in the solitary part of the tombs, "she liked her wine. She liked to smoke in bed. Virginia Slims." I stopped for a second, peering in through the crack in one of the doors to check and make sure it was clear before I carried on. "I was playing out with the kids in the neighborhood," I said glancing at the boy to my left, "I could do that with Merle gone. They had bikes, I didn't. We heard sirens getting louder. They jumped on their bikes, ran after it, you know hoping to see something worth seeing." I paused again, looking through another cracked door before looking behind me to see Oscar catching up slowly behind us.

"I ran after them," I said, "but I couldn't keep up. I ran around a corner and saw my friends looking at me. Hell I saw _everybody_ looking at me. Fire trucks everywhere. People from the neighborhood. It was _my_ house they were there for. It was _my_ mom in bed burnt down to nothing. That was the hard part. You know, she was just _gone_. _Erased_. Nothing left of her. People say it was better that way. I don't know. It just made it seem like it wasn't real, y'know?" I stood there for a moment, before I heard Carl clear his throat. "I shot my mom," he said as he lifted his eyes to look up at me, "she was out. Hadn't turned yet. _I_ ended it. It was _real_." He looked up at me for a moment longer before he lowered his head, speaking again. "Sorry about your mom," he whispered out.

"I'm sorry about _yours_ ," I said looking down at him as he lifted up his head, "and your older sister." We both glanced back at Oscar, seeing him a short ways back before Carl looked back to me. "Is that why you're down here," he asked in a whisper as he peered up at me again with the same blue eyes as his older sister, "because Carol told us that she last seen Kathryn here?" I looked down at him, chewing on the inside of my cheek as I debated on telling him. "Yeah," I said nodding once before looking ahead of us, "whether she's alive or a walker, I need to find her. I _have_ to know." "I wanna know too," Carl said nodding up at me before looking ahead once more. "C'mon," I said placing my hand on his shoulder, "let's keep looking through here to make sure we don't find any surprises."

**CARL'S POV**

I was surprised when Daryl started telling me about his mother while we were walking. I've kept away from him since we lost Kathryn because every time I'd see someone speaking to him, he just looked on edge and the littlest thing asked of him caused him to lose his temper. I wasn't sure why he became so ill-tempered after we lost her, but I had a pretty good idea that maybe Daryl and my sister were closer than just _friends_ like she claimed to be that day when we were in the field for the prison after we found out Hershel was going to be alright. And I couldn't agree more with Daryl about wanting to know if my sister was still somewhere down here, _alive_ , or not. Not knowing was torture. I was hoping for the best outcome on this, but I was also expecting the worse because of the situation we were now living in.

We walked down a corridor with cells similar to ours in our prison block when Oscar found something to his liking in a cell we'd passed. "Oh that's what I'm talking about," he said as he walked into the cell, causing me and Daryl to stop and turn around, walking back towards him to see just what it was he found. "The hell you need _slippers_ for," Daryl asked as we walked into the cell and looked down at him. "You know," Oscar said looking up at Daryl like he was crazy, "for the end of the day, relaxing." Just then, growling could be heard behind us. When we turned around, the walker was already making its way into the cell with us. Quickly, we put it down before Daryl let out a breath as he looked down and over at me.

"Alright," he said before looking back to the walker with a confused look on his face as he knelt down. "What is it," I asked taking a step forwards before spying the knife in its throat. I watched as he slowly pulled the knife out, spurts of blood coming out with it before he lifted it up to look at.

"That's Kat's knife," he said and I could hear the confusion in his voice, "the one I gave her a while back." "Does that mean she's still alive," I asked, the hopeful note in my voice obvious that I wanted my sister back. "Don't know," he said as he looked back down at the walker that the knife had originally been embedded in. Staring at it, he had this _contemplating_ look on his face as he thought about the possibility that Kathryn was still alive somewhere in here. "Y'all go on back up," he said as he slowly began wiping the blood from the blade, "I'll meet y'all back in the cell block. And all take care of the walker in that one cell. I just need a few minutes." I watched as he looked back at us before both Oscar and I nodded, walking off to leave him to his thoughts as he stared back down at the walker in front of him.


	50. Kathryn

**DARYL'S** **POV**

Carl and Oscar disappeared down the corridor, leaving me where I knelt down in front of the walker I'd pulled Kat's knife from. Slowly, standing to my feet, I made my way back towards the cell block. Coming back across that one door that had the weakened walker in it, I stopped and looked over to it as it slowly pushed open before closing back again. Deciding I wasn't ready to go back yet, with Kat's knife still in hand, I sat down on the floor with my legs crossed in front of me as I began stabbing the knife into the concrete floor I was sitting on. I glanced up at the door as it opened slightly once more when I brought the knife down. I tightened my grip on the knife before lifting it up and quickly bringing it back down again.

I could feel my anger and frustration bubbling towards the surface as the memory of me letting Kat down came to the forefront. As I took deep breaths with each hit the knife took to the concrete, I tried to calm myself down but it seemed to only anger me more. With the tip of the blade on the ground, letting out a deep breath, I leaned back against the wall and stared the door down as it continued to open and close. Whatever was inside was trying to get out, but it wasn't trying _nearly_ hard enough to succeed. I readjusted my grip on the knife before bringing it up and stabbing it back into the ground again.

The anger I was feeling, over letting Kat down, was beginning to overpower me as I sat there. I picked up the pace for when I stabbed the ground before I finally had enough of this and decided to take the anger I was feeling out on the walker just on the other side of the doorway. Standing up after slamming the knife into the wall beside me, I stepped forwards and kicked the door hard. I was _beyond_ irritated at this point as I started pacing, deciding if I really did want to take on the walker on the other side. For all I knew, it could be her, and I'd be forced to put the knife through her head and bring her body back for her brother to see. But it was something we both needed at this point, and I think Rick needed it as well. We all just needed to know.

Finally making up my mind, I placed the knife in my mouth before grabbing the dead walker in front of the door and tossing the limp body to the side. Prepared for anything, I quickly made my way back towards the door after tossing away the walker, I jerked the door open with the knife in hand as I was ready to stab the walker on the other side when I stopped. There, sitting on the ground against the wall near the door, was the familiar red hair that belonged to only one person in our group. I watched as slowly she turned her head towards me, causing me to kneel down next to her with the knife still in my hand, ready to stab her if she really was a walker. I lightly placed my hand under her chin, lifting her head up so that the lights caught her eyes.

She looked dazed and confused, but she didn't have the glazed over eyes that the other walkers had. "Hey Tarzan," she whispered out, a faint smile crossing her lips as she looked up at me with her tired blue eyes. Putting the knife away, I quickly bent down and picked her up. She rested her head against my shoulder as I carried her slowly out of the tombs. Glancing down at her every couple of steps to make sure she was _really_ there, I watched as she closed her eyes but held on tighter to me with her arms around my neck. It's when her arms went limp around me that I quickened my pace, scared that something had happened.

Making it into the cell block, the others seemed to be away as I entered, heading straight to the first cell I reached. I laid her down on the bed and looked at her as she laid there, seeming so peaceful with her eyes closed. Her breathing was shallow, but she was still breathing all the same. Her hands were resting on her stomach, her head turned to the side slightly, and her clothes filthy from three days ago and covered in walker blood. Gently, I picked up her hand closest to me, holding it in my larger one as I waited to see if she'd wake back up soon. I didn't sit there and wait long, before I spotted her lashes fluttering slightly and her breathing picked up to a normal speed. I sat there watching and waiting, as her blue eyes slowly opened before peering over at me.

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I was exhausted, physically and mentally drained. I was so tired I thought I had been seeing things when Daryl opened the door to the room I was hiding out in. I don't remember much after that, I just remember finally blacking out. And now, I'm slowly looking around at my surroundings as I tried to figure out where I am before my eyes land on a pair of very familiar, and very _worried_ blue eyes. That's when I feel my hand in his, causing me to look over towards our hands. His grip tightens, causing me to look back up at him to see his expression changed from worried to sad. "I thought you were gone," he whispered out as I stared at his blue eyes, "I thought I'd failed you." "Why would you think that," I asked, my voice hoarse and scratchy because of how dry it was.

Instead of answering me at first, he let go of my hand and walked out of the cell I was in. This was my first time getting to look around well enough for me to realize that this wasn't _my_ cell. The sound of Daryl's footsteps coming back brought my attention to the door as he entered with a full bottle of water. I slowly tried to sit up as he handed me the now opened bottle, giving me time to drink from it as he thought about his answer. "I was always there to protect you," he said after a few minutes of watching me, "from day one in that camp. But I wasn't there this last time." "You tried," I said as my voice already sounded better now with having had some water, "you're the one who found me. That's all that matters, that I'm back and I'm safe."

He looked at me doubtful before he leaned over towards me. Already knowing what he was doing, I met him half way as he brought his chapped lips to mine. Most of the kisses we've had since the loss of the farm have been rough, needy. But this one, it was gentle, and I could feel the fear seeping out of him from the thought of losing me to those walkers when the prison was attacked. When he finally pulled away, he rested his forehead against mine, locking his blue eyes with my own as he stared at me. We didn't say anything, just enjoying the company of one another before the sound out in the commons area to the cell block brought us back to reality. I pulled away and looked towards the door at the same time he did. He glanced back at me, his eyes seeming to shine now, as he stood to his feet. "I'll be right back," he said before walking to the cell door and disappearing from view.


	51. Michonne

**DARYL'S** **POV**

I walked out of the cell I placed Kat in when we heard talking in the commons area. Walking towards the bared door, I could see Rick kneeling over a woman with the others hovering around them. I didn't see Glenn and Maggie yet but I figured it wouldn't be too much longer before they returned and could learn that Kat was safe and back with us. "Rick," I called out, causing him to stop talking and look away from that woman and over towards me. It was good to see him back amongst the living here at the prison. He didn't seem as crazed as he did that last time when he came in this morning. I looked away from him and down towards the woman still laying on the cold floor. "Who the hell is this," I asked as Rick looked back to her. "You wanna tell us your name," he asked as she leaned up slightly, resting on her elbow as she looked around at all of us.

She looked back to Rick, not speaking a word. "Y'all come on in here," I said when it was apparent she wasn't going to say who she was. "Everything alright," Rick asked looking back over his shoulder at me as he stood to his feet. I held back a smile as I didn't want to ruin the surprise for Rick and Carl. Glancing back down at the woman once more, I looked up to Rick. "You're gonna wanna see this," I said before turning and walking back into the portion of the block that housed the cells. I walked over to the cell I'd placed Kat in to see she was drinking some more water while still sitting on the bunk where I'd left her. "Where'd you go," she asked when she noticed me. "You'll see," I said smirking before looking over my shoulder at the sound of approaching footsteps.

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I looked off to the edge of the entrance, as far as I could see before the wall cut in, and watched as everyone else in the group walked closer to the cell that Daryl was standing next to. The first person who came into my line of sight, _Dad_. "Daddy," I whispered out, using a hand to help pull myself up off the bottom bunk as he walked into the cell with his arms open, a smile on his face. "You're _alive_ ," he whispered holding me tightly in a hug once I had stood fully to my feet, "thank God. I thought I'd lost you." I could feel the tears streaming down my face as Dad rocked me back and forth before I spotted Hershel over his shoulder. "How," he asked when Dad let me go and I walked over to him.

"Solitary," I said laughing weakly as I wrapped him in a hug just as tightly as I held my dad moments ago. I glanced over towards Daryl, to see him smiling as I hugged Hershel before my attention went to my brother beside him. "Carl," I nearly cried out as he ran towards me after Hershel moved out of the way. I felt him bury his head into my stomach the second he collided with me, my arm wrapping around his shoulders to hold him as close as I could, refusing to let him go. "She fought her way into a cell," Daryl said as I continued to hold my brother close, "must have passed out. She was dehydrated when I found her and brought her back in here." "Thank you Daryl," I heard my dad say before I opened my eyes and spotted Beth in my field of vision, holding something small in her arms.

I smiled at the sight of the baby before looking back to Dad, only then realizing I hadn't seen the other member of my family. Looking at Dad, I could see the saddening look on his face, causing my smile to fall. "Lori," I asked in a whispered voice, even at the low octave I could hear it break as I already knew the answer as he looked down and away from me. Feeling the tears threatening to spill over again, I walked towards him and wrapped my arms around him in a hug as I placed my forehead on his chest. The tears began slipping down as he wrapped his arms around me and began rocking me again like moments ago.

**RICK'S** **POV**

"I'm sorry Daddy," Kathryn whispered as I placed my chin down on the top of her head, "I _tried_. I really tried to make amends with her, to be nicer to her." "I know sweetheart," I whispered as I tightened my grip around her. I knew Kathryn and Lori didn't get along. She told me back when she was old enough to understand that she didn't want Lori to take her mother's place. I couldn't blame her for acting the way she did. I watched as she pulled away from me and looked back to the baby in Beth's arms. "Can I hold it," she asked looking at Beth. "Her," I whispered as I placed my hands on her shoulders, "she's your sister." "Her," she said smiling and looking back to me before holding her hands out for her younger sister in Beth's arms. I watched as Beth carefully handed the infant over to Kathryn, before I glanced up to see the rest of the group that was here smiling at Kathryn holding the baby for the first time.

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

Tears continued to stream down my face as I held the small baby in my arms and looked down at her. We had no way of truly knowing if she was my dad's now, but I didn't care about that anymore. I held her close to me in the crook of my arm before looking over to my brother. I held my free arm out and open towards him, motioning for him to come over to me. He wrapped his arms around me, resting his head against me as I wrapped my free arm around his shoulders and held him close as I looked back to the baby I was holding. I looked over towards Dad when I heard footsteps walking away to see that him, Daryl and Hershel were walking towards the door that led to the commons area. Beth and Carl stayed there with me in that cell, me sitting on the bunk when I started to feel tired.

Dad and Daryl weren't gone for too long before they walked back and motioned for us to walk towards the stairs furthest away from where they entered at. "What is it," I asked, taking a seat on the stairs as I still held my little sister, Carl coming to sit next to me. Dad glanced down at his feet before looking over to Daryl. This was the first time I had noticed that those two prisoners were amongst us. I was still a little uncomfortable with them around but Dad and the others didn't see them as a threat anymore so I tried to push that away from my mind. I glanced around the group, Carl standing on my left and Beth on my right. Then it was the two prisoners, Oscar and Axel I learned were their names, Dad, Daryl, and Carol beside him.

She'd been outside on watch when I was found and only recently came in. We were both happy to see that the other had survived, the last time we seen each other was just before I ran in the wrong direction to the cell block after T-Dog sacrificed himself for us. "That woman in there," Dad said causing me to snap back to reality, "said that Glenn and Maggie were taken. Said they're in a _town_ and knows how to get in and out without getting caught." "How do you know we can _trust_ her," Oscar asked looking to Dad as he spoke. "This is Maggie and Glenn," Beth said from beside me, "why are we even _debating_?" "I agree with Beth," I said looking at the group as I bounced the baby in my arms, "why are we just _sitting_ here?"

"We ain't," Daryl said shaking his head and stepping forward, "I'll go after them." "You can't do it alone Daryl," I said shaking my head. "Well this place sounds secure," Dad said causing us to look over at him, "you'd need help." "I'll go," Beth volunteered. "So will I," I said looking at Dad. "Me too," Axel said. "I'm in," I heard Oscar say. I was shocked to hear these two men that we didn't really know offer to help bring back two of our own. "Kathryn," Dad said getting my attention, "you, Carol, Carl, Beth, Hershel and Axel will stay here and keep an eye on the place. Me, Daryl, Oscar, and that woman will go get Glenn and Maggie back." "No I want to go too," I said shaking my head and going to stand up after handing Beth the baby.

I stood up too quickly, and having not had anything to eat yet since I've been back with the others, I went to topple over. Daryl quickly stepped forward, grabbing me before I could fall to the floor and face plant into the concrete, steadying me on my feet. "No you're staying here," Dad said as Daryl kept his hold on me for a few minutes longer, "you're still weak. And you need rest. I want you here where I know you're safe." I went to protest when I glanced up at Daryl to see him shaking his head at me with a stern look in his eyes. "We'll bring them back," he said looking down at me as everyone else left while he helped me up the stairs to my cell. "I want _you_ to come back too," I said looking up at him, "you and Dad both." "We'll be back," he said nodding. " _Promise_ me," I said staring up into his blue eyes as we stopped at my cell door. "I promise," he said with a nod before turning and walking back down to the main floor of the cell block.


	52. Gone

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I stood up in the guard tower, _hours_ after half of our group left to go bring back Maggie and Glenn. All that was left here were me, Carl, Carol, Beth, Hershel, Axel, and our little sister which he finally named Judith. I thought that name suited her. I sat on the upper balcony to the tower, staring off in the direction that they'd gone in to bring back our friends. Dad didn't know how long they'd be gone, and in a sense he left Carl in charge of everything. I had a say in the decisions too as I was the older sibling, but I think Dad wanted him to do it more. As I sat there, I thought back to a couple hours earlier when I spoke to Daryl those short minutes before they left.

 _I stood off to the side, watching as Daryl, Dad, Carl, and Oscar loaded the Hyundai with whatever supplies they'd need for the trip to get our people back. "Hey," Daryl said, catching my attention as he walked back over to where I stood by myself. I smiled weakly at him before glancing to where Dad and Carl were talking, only to look back at him when he stopped in front of me. "I'll look after your_ _ol_ _' man don't worry," he said as he peered down at me with his blue eyes. "I know," I said nodding as I looked over to Dad again. "Stay safe," he said jerking my gaze back over to him. "_ You _stay safe," I said back, "and come back to me safe and sound. You promised don't forget." "I know," he said nodding, "I promise. We'll be back soon."_

I had this knack for almost _always_ knowing when something wasn't right. And I was almost _always_ proven correct somehow. For example, after they left, I got this feeling that something was going to happen and sure enough a few hours later Carl came back with this group of five people from the tombs and one had been bitten. But that feeling didn't go away after they got here. I didn't know if that meant that they were going to cause us trouble, or if that meant trouble was going to happen back wherever Dad and the others were. _Honestly_ , I hoped it was neither. But I was never truly that lucky to get what I was hoping for. Some way, somehow, whatever I was feeling _always_ happened in the end. I just had to go with the flow, when most times it felt like I was being washed away by a tsunami.

"Hey," a voice called out, causing me to snap out of my thoughts. Looking over my shoulder, I spotted Axel standing in the opened hatch to the tower and looking up at me. "Hi," I said a little uncomfortable. "Mind if I join ya," he asked. I merely shrugged before looking back out towards the direction I had been staring in before he showed up. "Suit yourself," I said in a whisper before I heard his footsteps as he climbed the rest of the way up and made his way over to sit down beside me. I didn't look at him, but I could feel his gaze on me and it was making me twitch in discomfort. "That baby in there," he started after a few minutes, "she's your sister? And the boy's your brother?" "Half-brother," I said glancing at him for a second, "and half-sister." I watched as he nodded before I glanced away again.

"So you and that _guy_ ," he asked after a moment of silence, "Daryl?" Glancing over at him I narrowed my eyes. " _No_ ," I said curtly as I eyed him with suspicion. "Sorry I just thought," he started to say but paused when he saw the look on my face. " _No_ ," I said once again in the same clipped tone as before. "Sorry," he said as I kept my glare on him, "how old are you?" "I don't see how that's any of your business," I said as I stood up, "but I'm 18. And I'd be careful of who it is I hit on. I'm the daughter of the man that could've easily sent you and Oscar packing before." I left him with that to digest, climbing down from the tower and heading back into the cell block. I ignored the looks I got from the newcomers and went inside, going over to where Carol was and decided to talk with her a bit to find out what happened while I was MIA for those few days.

**CAROL'S POV**

Kathryn came back in, after spending hours out in that tower watching for Rick and the other. I knew she was watching for her dad and Glenn to come back. She was watching for _everyone_ from our group that went out to come back safely. The sun had set by now, and I could see how worried she was as she came to stand next to me. She just wanted to talk, take her mind off of everything that was going on so she wouldn't worry too much. Axel came in not too long after she did, while we were talking. He glanced our way for a second before disappearing into the cell that Beth and Carl were in with Judith. I had asked Kathryn something, but before she could answer it, as she opened her mouth we could hear Axel talking with Beth. Casting a concerned look towards the cell, Kathryn glanced back at me before she led the way to see just what was being said between Beth and Axel.

"You're good with her," Axel said as we came to a stop just at the edge of the cell, "you got any younger sisters?" "No," Beth said innocently as she shook her head and looked at him before looking back down at the baby in her arms. "How old are you anyway," he asked and I felt Kathryn stiffen next to me. "I'm 17," Beth answered as she looked up at him confused. "Interesting," Axel said smiling at her and when I glanced at Kathryn, she had her fists clenched and she was glaring at the man beside Beth. "May we speak to you," I finally said stepping forward into the cell and catching his attention. "Me," he asked looking up confused. "Yes you," Kathryn said beside me as she crossed her arms and he looked over at her. "Uh," he said before standing up, "okay."

I turned and walked off with Kathryn, we both waited for him by the stairs as he walked up smiling. "What's the problem," he asked when he got closer. "Stay away from her," I said as my eyes drifted back to where the cell was. "You couldn't get attention from me so you went to _Beth_ ," Kathryn asked as he looked to her, "she's _younger_ than me. Stay away from her if you know what's best for you." "This isn't about you trying to repopulate the earth," I said as he looked back up at me. "I didn't mean no offense," he said looking back and forth between me and Kathryn, "I've been locked up a long while. And well there weren't many women. Maggie, she's with Glenn, you're a lesbian, and I don't know about Kathryn."

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I bit back the laugh I was holding in as I covered my mouth. Carol glanced at me before she looked back to Axel. "I'm not a lesbian," she said shaking her head as she silenced whatever else he had to say about it. "You've got the short hair," he said motioning with his hand while all she did was shake her head, "you're not a lesbian?" I watched as Carol gave him this _really_ look while he smirked back at her. "My," he said leaning against the stairs and smiling at Carol, "this _is_ interesting." "No it's not," Carol said laughing. "I'm just going to go and still my baby sister from Beth now," I said stepping away from the two and walking back to the cell. I knew Carol could take care of herself and this now meant that Axel would be leaving me and Beth _alone_.

It was mid to late morning the next day, I was standing outside in the small fenced in area with the outer tower next to it. Carl was beside me as we kept watch, still waiting for Dad and the rest to return. "So Daryl was calling Judith _Lil Ass-Kicker_ ," I asked smiling at my little brother. This was the first time we had gotten some time alone since Daryl found me yesterday in the tombs before he and Dad left to get Glenn and Maggie back. "Yeah," he said smiling up at me, "do you think Judith was a good name for her?" "I think Judith is a _wonderful_ name for our little sister," I said smiling down as I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and pulled him against me. In that next moment, we heard the sound of a vehicle approaching and both of us turned to look in the direction it was coming from. "Please be them," I heard Carl say from beside me before the familiar Hyundai pulled into view.

Sighing in relief at the sight of the familiar car, we both ran to the gate and Carl unlocked it before I pulled the gate open, allowing our group to drive right in as he ran and unlocked the next gate for them. Closing the gate back quickly and locking it, I turned to watch as Carl pushed open the second gate while Dad climbed out of the car. "Drive on up," Dad said into the car, "I'll meet you there." I didn't hear a reply as I walked up to him. "Daddy," I called out, causing him to turn around in time for me to run into him and hug him tightly. He then released me and went to hug Carl while I turned to peer into the car. "Where's Daryl," I asked instantly fearing the worse as I looked back to Dad while he stood to his feet.

"It's alright," Dad said quickly walking over to me and placing his hand on my shoulder, "he's alive." "Then where is he," I asked panicked as I looked around for him, hoping he'd come walking out of the woods. "We ran into his brother," Dad said noticing the look on my face, "they went off together." "He _left_ ," I asked as I tried to keep my voice from breaking, "Daryl _left_? Is he coming _back_?" "Hey," Dad whispered and instantly wrapped me in a tight hug as I felt a tear slip down my cheek. "He said he'd be back," I cried as I buried my face into my dad's shoulder, "he _promised_." Dad rubbed his hand up and down my back, trying to comfort me. But I knew that wouldn't work. I was upset. Daryl said he'd come back to me, but he broke his promise. I should've never believed he would come back. I was, after all, just a kid to him in the end.


	53. Not Here

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

_I laid in bed, sniffling and trying to wipe away the traitorous tears that fell. I hadn't moved for hours after walking into the prison once Dad told me the news about Daryl leaving with his brother. I should've_ known _better, even after he promised, that anything related to Merle would have his top priority. I knew I looked like shit, my eyes were red and puffy, tender to the touch from continuously being rubbed. There were tear stains on my cheeks and the filthy pillow I laid my head on was drenched from my salty tears that landed on its surface. Every time I thought I was finished crying over that man, a new memory of something he and I had done between the time we'd left the farm and now came back and haunted my every thought until it went away to make way for another memory._

 _I was laying in the fetal position, my arms wrapped tightly around my legs as I pulled them closer to me each time a sob racked my body._ _I felt so_ alone _. Even with all these people in our group, it didn't feel the same without Daryl there too. I'm sure my father and the others were wondering what had gotten into me._ No one _knew about the relationship I had with Daryl, and no one was going to find out either. This was something between us that we didn't want to share with the world. And the thing that hurts the most right now, is knowing that my birthday is coming up in just a few days, and Daryl won't be here to take me to do something like he promised. That's_ another _promise he's breaking to me. That thought alone sends another sob threw me, causing me to grip my legs tighter._

 _The sound of slow moving footsteps reaches my ears, causing me to sniffle out as I quiet down to listen. No one has tried to check on me yet, so why now all of a sudden? "Kathryn," a familiar voice calls out, instantly causing me to stiffen as their footsteps stop in the door to my cell. "You're not here," I whispered out as I shook my head, "you're not here because you left with your brother. You_ abandoned _me." "Kat I_ am _here," Daryl started but I quickly cut him off. "_ No _," I shouted as I sat up and glared at him, "you lost the right to call me Kat when you_ left me _." I watched as his head lowered before I quickly turned around on my bed and pulled my knees up to my chest as I stared at the barren wall that held up the bunk I was on._

 _"I didn't have a_ choice _," I heard Daryl say before I heard him walk further into my cell, "I wasn't leaving Merle behind_ again _. Your father wasn't going to let him in this prison." "It's nice to know where we stand then," I whispered out calmly with my back still to him even though I could feel his presence close to the bunk, "now leave me alone." "What do you mean," he asked, and from the sound of his movements, it sounded as if he had knelt down by the bed just behind me. "If I were there," I asked out as new tears sprang forth and started to fall, "if I was on my knees_ begging _, would you have still left with Merle? Or would you have stayed with me?" I knew the answer to this question, but I still had to ask, to see if he'd admit to it or try and bullshit me. "I don't know," came his reply, earning a scoff from me._

 _"Bullshit," I whispered, "we_ both _know what you'd do. I know you better than you think I do Daryl. So, why don't you just save us, or me, the pain and leave again? This time, stay away." "No," he said with a finality in his voice, "because you're going to listen to me now, whether you want to or not." "Why should I do that," I asked with a scoff as I continued to keep my back to him. "Because," he whispered out in a soft voice, "I'm hoping I haven't lost my Jane yet." My breath hitched in my throat as what he said sunk in and I slowly turned to face him, my blue eyes locking with his own._

 _"Got your attention," he asked as a small smirk crossed his features, "_ good _. You are so damn_ stubborn _." "Look who's talking," I said with a scoff as I fought the smile that wanted to grace my lips, "I'm a redhead what'd you expect. Stubbornness comes with the territory." My mood instantly began to drop as I stared at him. My eyes went all over his face before returning to make eye contact with him. "You can't do this to me Daryl," I whispered out as I realized I was head over heels for this man and he could_ never _feel the same way because I was no more than a kid to him. "You do this to me," he said quickly grabbing my hand and placing it on his beating heart, "_ every _time I see or think about you. You're not alone."_

_With his hand covering mine that was still resting on his chest, while he stared into my eyes, he moved his free hand up to cup my cheek. I couldn't help but lean my face into his touch, my eyes closing for a second before I felt him shift. When I reopened my eyes, he was leaning in. And before I could comprehend what was happening, his lips enveloped mine. It still amazed me how much could be felt and said in a kiss if the right person was responsible for it. I quickly moved to a more comfortable position on my bed, him still kneeling on the floor but now between my legs, as I moved my hands to cup his face and pull him closer to me. He happily obliged, his hands moving to my waist and pulling me closer to the edge of the bed and pressing me up against him._

_We broke away for a breath of air, long enough for him to quickly tug his flannel off, before our lips collided again. With the sense of urgency behind the kiss, I could tell this was finally it. I was finally giving my innocence to the one man who I thought deserved it. I didn't even care that at any moment my dad or someone else from the group could walk up and towards my cell, easily seeing just what was going on between me and Daryl. All I cared about at that moment, was pulling his belt through the loops in his jeans and trying to quickly unbutton them with the shaky hands I was having to work with. In my mind, nothing else mattered but this moment, the moment I've been waiting for with Daryl._

I slowly opened my eyes. I didn't remember falling asleep, I just remembered laying down on the bottom bunk in my cell and starting to cry. I could feel the remnants from my earlier tears still on my face and around my eyes. But, as the memory of the dream came back to me and the realization that it _was_ just a dream the whole time, new tears began to fall. I was mad at Daryl, he left me when he promised to come back. He left me for his brother. But then I remembered telling Glenn back when I first met him, that if it wasn't for Carl then I wouldn't have stuck around like I had, so I couldn't blame him for his family coming first. Closing my eyes as the tears streamed down my face and puddled under my cheek I was laying on, I tried to fight back the memory of what Daryl and myself had almost done in the dream. That was twice now that I've dreamt of almost sleeping with Daryl.


	54. Back

**DARYL'S POV**

I stood quiet, caught up in my own thoughts about choosing Merle over the others in the prison, over Kat. It's been about a day now since I've made my choice, and I keep thinking more and more that it was the wrong choice to make. "What's eatin' away at you baby brother," Merle said as I snapped out of my thoughts, "leave behind a piece of tail back at that prison with your ol' pal Rick?" "Shut up," I grumbled before looking at my crossbow in my hands as Merle decided now would be a good time to take a piss. "Who was it," he asked as he ignored what I said, "that woman who's own husband was hitting on her and that daughter of hers? No, I think it was the redhead that always was lookin' our way." "I said shut up," I growled as he walked up to me, "what are we doin' here anyway? Ain't nothin' here but mosquitoes and ants."

"And you call yourself a hunter," he chuckled, "patience little brother. Sooner or later we'll get ourselves a squirrel." "Even so," I grumbled, "that ain't very much food for the both of us. Have better luck finding something in them houses we saw earlier." "That what your new friends taught ya," he asked, "how to loot for booty? Speaking of booty, what's the sheriff's daughter like? Redhead and all, bet she's a freak in between the sheets." "You don't know what the hell you're talkin' about," I snapped as I turned to glare at him, "you don't talk about Kat like that." "Kat is it," he sneered, "gave the little bitch a nickname did ya? That what you shout out when you're pounding into her little ass?" "Shut the hell up," I shouted as I glared at him. "Awe what's the matter baby brother," he sneered again, "wanna go back to that little bitch? Needing some of her little ass already? Can't say I blame ya though, I ever had the chance I'd get a piece of that ass too."

"Don't ever talk about her like that again," I shouted in his face. Before he could say anything else, I turned and began walking on in the direction we were headed. "What you gonna do," he asked as he trailed behind me, "head back to the road, go back to the prison?" "They got shelter," I said not turning to face him, "food. A pot to piss in. Might not be a bad idea. "For you maybe," he said, "they'll welcome you back with open arms and that little redhead will come running back to your arms. I'll get a gun to the face if I show back up there." "That's because of your own stupidity," I said shaking my head, "not mine. You're the one who took Glenn and Maggie. You're the one who started all this trouble. It's your own damn fault."

"So," he said glaring back at me, "is it my fault I lost my hand too?" "I went back for you," I shouted, "you weren't there. I didn't cut off your hand neither. You did that your own damn self. You just had to wait! We were coming back for ya!" I watched as he started chuckling. "You know what's funny to me," he asked before holding up his hand, "you and Sheriff Rick are like this now. I bet you a penny and a fiddle of gold that we were planning on robbing that camp blind." "It didn't happen," I said, shaking my head at him. "Yeah it didn't," he said, "because I wasn't there to help you." "What like when we were kids," I asked stepping forward into his face, "who left who then?"

"What," he shouted, "is that why I lost my hand?" "You lost your hand because you're a simple minded piece of shit," I shouted right back before turning my back to him. In that next moment, he had his hand on the back of my shirt, jerking it. The sound of the fabric ripping as I lost my balance surrounded me before I found myself on my knees on the ground. Glancing back at him slightly as I tried to grab the torn pieces of my shirt to cover my back, I could see the shock on his face. "I didn't know he was," he started stammering as he stared at my back, and the scars that covered it. "Yeah he did," I said as I grabbed my dropped back and placed it back on my back before standing to my feet, "he did the same to you. That's why you left first."

"I had to," he said as I started walking away from him, "I would've killed him otherwise." I looked back at him before continuing to walk away from him. When he realized I wasn't going to answer, that's when he spoke up again. "Where you going," he called out, causing me to stop and look back at him again. "Back where I belong," I said, Kat instantly coming to mind when I stated I was going back to Rick and the others. She'd probably never forgive me for breaking my promise to her, but I'd try anything to gain her forgiveness and to regain her trust in me. "I can't go with you," Merle said snapping me from my thoughts, "I tried to kill that black bitch. Damn near killed the Chinese kid." "He's Korean," I said, sticking up for that boy for the first time since I'd met him.

"Whatever," Merle called back as I looking at him and thought, "doesn't matter. I just can't go with you." He had a point. If he went back, he'd never be welcomed. And if Rick knew what Merle was saying about his daughter earlier, he'd kill him right on the spot without hesitation. Rick's done killed one man for his daughter, I wouldn't put it past him to kill another. "I may be the one walking away," I said looking up at him, "but you're the one that's leaving. Again." With that, I turned and began walking away. I'd let Merle decide what he was going to do. But I wasn't going to follow him around like some mindless shell of a man, like I had done before. I was going back, and I was going to beg for Kathryn's forgiveness and pray she'd welcome me back but I wouldn't get my hopes up yet for that. Like Merle pointed out, she was a redhead and could be very stubborn. I've seen that stubbornness a few times already.

It was silent behind me, as I began making my way back to the prison, before I heard Merle's footsteps following behind. I let the silence last, as he soon was walking beside me. I didn't feel like talking to him anymore for the time being, I just wanted to get back before the Governor got back to the prison before us and attacked. The last thing I wanted was to return to find the prison attacked and everyone in it gone. As we drew closer to the prison, the sound of gunfire caught my ears. "Son of a bitch," I growled as I began running in the direction it was coming from, not caring if Merle was following close behind or not. I had one thought in mind, Kathryn.

When we got to the tree line that stopped right before the prison, I caught sight of the prison yard full of walkers with a vehicle inside and Rick up against the fence with two walkers trying to take a bite out of him. Acting quickly, I lifted my crossbow up before firing the already loaded bolt into one of the walker's skull. While I was pulling out another bolt, Merle quickly ran by me with a bar and began helping Rick out before I came up beside him. When the last walker was down, he looked to me, nodding his head once in gratitude before turning to face the fence. I walked up next to him, looking up to the prison before looking back to him. "You came back," he said looking at me. "Yeah," I said nodding before a thought occurred to me, "where's Kat?"


	55. Daryl's Return

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"Son of a _bitch_ ," I growled out as I laid on the lower bunk in the first cell in our cell block, Hershel sitting by the bed with a needle and thread as he stitched up my side. "I think you hung out with Daryl too long," Glenn said, smirking at me as he held onto my hand while Hershel peirced my skin with the needle once again. "Can we not mention _his_ name please," I growled as I slammed my eyes shut while Hershel did his work. "Sorry," Glenn said as I opened my eyes to see him looking down with a sad look. "He made his decision," I said squeezing Glenn's hand to get his attention, "we weren't a part of it. It's done."

I looked up at Glenn, to see Maggie behind him with a look mirroring his own, before I felt Hershel tug at the string in my side and caused me to wince and hiss in pain. "I'm through Kathryn," he said causing me to look over at him, "I'm through." I smiled weakly at him before running footsteps reached my ears. Looking up towards the doorway to the cell, I spotted Dad running in with Carl right behind me. "I'm alright Dad," I said smiling as I sat up slightly and hugged him once he knelt down where I was laying.

"When I heard you were shot again," he said as he pulled back to look at me, "I was worried that this would be the time I lose you for _good_ to this word." "Dad have more faith in me please," I said laughing before my laughter stopped short as someone appeared in the doorway to the cell. Everything went silent, the minute those in the cell realized what caused me to stop laughing and smiling. It was no secret that the group knew how Daryl leaving with his brother affected me. And now here he was, staring at me laying on the bunk with my shirt still lifted up to reveal my side where I got shot moments before.

**DARYL'S POV**

I watched as Kat's blue eyes peered at me, and there was nothing hiding there that I didn't know was directed at me. As we stared at each other, not saying a word, the others slowly began making their way out of the cell until it was just Glenn left with us. "It's okay Glenn," she said squeezing his hand which I just realized she was still holding, "I'll be fine." "I'll be right out there if you need me," he said before looking to me and finally walking past me and out of the cell. I followed him out with my eyes before turning back to face Kat as she sat up on the bunk she was sitting on, tugging down on her shirt to cover the fresh wound.

"Can I help you with something Dixon," she asked after a moment, looking over at me once the shirt had been pulled down over her side to hide the wound. "I wanted to make sure you're okay," I said, only for her to interrupt me. "I'm _fine_ ," she said turning away from me, "you can go now." "I wanted to apologize for leaving with Merle too," I said causing her to stop with her back to me. A moment later, she turned around with a smile on her face, but even _I_ could tell it was forced. "No need," she said shaking her head and walking up towards me and stopping just in front of me, "Merle's blood. I get it."

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"What," Daryl asked, giving me one hell of a confused look. "I get it," I said shrugging, "I was nothing more than a kid to you. There was nothing keeping you here when you finally had your brother again. You don't need to _apologize_ about it." I watched as his blue eyes widened by what I said, there hurt there in them as well. "Kat," he said but I held up my hand. "Don't _call_ me that anymore," I said shaking my head, "now, will you please leave. I need to rest otherwise Hershel and my dad will have my head." I watched as he clenched his jaw before turning and walked out of the cell I was in. "Sorry Daryl," I whispered well after he was gone, before I walked out of that cell and up the stairs to my cell.

I could tell I had hurt him with what I'd said, and pushing him away. But he's got to understand, he hurt _me_ too when he chose his brother over the group he's been with for nearly a year now. The look he gave me, when I said I was just a kid to him, told me he didn't see me as a kid. At least not anymore, compared to when we were back on the farm. Then again, we weren't doing half the stuff we'd done these past several months. But that just leads me to wonder, why did he do _any_ of that stuff with me if he just planned to leave the second he found his brother again. I knew in my heart, I'd forgive him for _anything_ but right now I needed time to get over what he did.

**DARYL'S POV**

How could she think that I saw her as nothing more than a _kid_. She is by far more than that. I should've known better than to leave with Merle and leave her behind. But I was stupid, I chose my dumbass brother over the one person in this group that may have been _annoying_ in the beginning but had gotten closer to me than anyone else. But hearing what she said today, and seeing her reaction as she said it, I'm not even sure I'll be able to regain her trust again to where we're even _close_ to what was before. And she's stubborn. Just as stubborn as Merle, or even me. Guess that's what drew me towards her in the first place. And now, I don't know what I'll do if I lose her _completely_.


	56. Trouble In Paradise

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I stood up on the upper landing, Beth beside me, as Dad called a meeting of the group the next morning. Daryl was up on the landing as well, leaning on the railing as he peered down at Dad and the others on the ground floor. I made sure to keep Beth between me and Daryl, not wanting to get too close to him right now. I wasn't mad at him, not anymore. He came back, that's all I cared about. But I wanted him to see what it felt like to not have the one you cared most about in this world around anymore.

I too had been leaning on the railing, just watching the others argue over what to do with this new threat, when I was tired of bending over and decided to straighten up. The movement caused my stitches in my side to tug, earning a wince from me which caused me to placed my hand onto my side where the stitches were. This didn't go unnoticed by Daryl, as I noticed he had turned his head towards me slightly. Keeping my attention on the people below, I didn't let him see that I had noticed his worry.

As petty as I was being, if we survived the threat from this man, I'd make amends with Daryl if it wasn't too late. But I knew Daryl well enough by now to know that he'd do whatever he could to get me back. He'd probably do whatever he could to get back on my good side. And I'd let him, but I wouldn't let on that he was forgiven, _yet_. I'd let him stew a bit longer, but for now I needed to find out what we were going to do about the current threat that was knocking at our door. As I turned my full attention back to the group, I began getting a headache from all the shouting and arguing.

**DARYL'S POV**

I glanced over at Kat again when I saw her turn and move to her cell. She looked like she'd had enough of the arguing and wanted out of it. I was still worried about her though, after getting shot in the side, it was no wonder that her dad and Glenn were so worried about her. I was too but I couldn't show that to her when she was pushing me away at the moment. And I deserved _every_ bit of it I was getting now. She put her trust in me to be there every time she needed help, and I left her for my stupid brother.

When Rick and the others decided what it was we were doing in regards to the Governor, I walked out of the cell block with Merle trailing behind me. It became apparent to me when we were outside away from the others that Merle had witnessed me watching Kat walk back to her cell. "Trouble in Paradise baby brother," Merle asked and without turning around, I could tell he was smirking. "Fuck off," I grumbled as I continued walking towards the fence. "But isn't that why we came back little brother," he continued to sneer, "to be with the officer's daughter? Wait, don't tell me Officer Friendly in there doesn't know that you got a thing for his teenage daughter."

"Shut _up_ ," I said turning around to see his face mirrored that of his voice as he talked. "Hope you're not dumb enough to screw the little red head without her father knowing where you two are in regards of relationship," he said smirking, "wouldn't want him to put a bullet between your eyes because you screwed his daughter." "I said _shut up_ ," I glared at him. He never knew when to keep his damn mouth shut before, and _now_ wasn't any different. I didn't let him say another word before I left him standing outside, and made my way inside and to the cell block.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

It had since gotten quiet in the cell block, Dad obviously figured out a fight plan for our safety after I went to my cell when my side started hurting. As I lay on my bunk, my arm resting across my stomach and lightly placed my my injured side, when I hear footsteps making their way towards me. Instantly knowing who it is by the sound of their steps, I slowly sit up and have my feet placed on the ground of my cell by the time he walks into view. "Go away Daryl," I said as I turn away from facing him so that I'm staring at the back wall to the cell I'm in. " _No_ ," he said.

"I don't want to talk to you right now Daryl," I said as I continued to stare at my back wall. "That's okay just listen then," he said as he didn't move from the entrance to my room, "I screwed up. I admit that. I chose Merle over coming back here with your dad and the others when I knew you were waiting to make sure I made it back safely. I made a promise to keep you safe and to be around when you'd need me, but I broke that promise again. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I hope you will."

I bit my lip, keeping my back to him. He was trying to get his point across to me, thinking I really _did_ hate his guts. And at first I did, when Dad first arrived back here without him. But by the time he'd arrived and my eyes landed on him looking so worried that I'd been shot, _again_ , my resolve broke down and I couldn't stay mad at him no matter how bad I wanted to. "Like I said Kathryn," he mumbled out, "I don't expect you to forgive me but I'd like you to think about it at least." He left after that, leaving me to my thoughts.


	57. Forgiven

**KATHRYN'S POV**

Not long after Daryl left me alone to my thoughts, a commotion could be heard down in the main part of the cell block as people began running out. Not hearing the sounds of gun fire, I made my way out onto the landing and then down the stairs when I heard people coming back into the cell block. "What's going on," I asked confused as I entered the commons area with Hershel, my hand on my side as I looked around to see a familiar face I hadn't seen since we lost the farm.

Andrea, she stood there hugging Carol as the rest of the group spread out around her. When she looked up, she spotted me and Hershel side by side staring at her. "Hershel," she said peering at the older man beside me, "my God, what happened. And to you Kathryn? You got shot again?" "Yeah," I said glaring at her, "by your _boyfriend_ or one of his minions back where you've been staying." "I had no idea," she said looking around at the rest of the group, "I came as _soon_ as I found out that you had been in Woodbury."

"That was _weeks_ ago," Glenn said as he walked near me to stand by my side and placing himself between me and Daryl. I watched as she grimaced and looked around at the goup of people in the cell block that were around  back when we were on the farm. "Where's Shane," she asked looking around as I felt myself stiffen at the name. From the side of my vision, just past Glenn, I could see Daryl move himself closer to me. Even after everything that's happened to us the past 24 hours or so, he's still protective over me when it comes to what that man tried to do to me back on the farm. And that's why it's not hard for me to forgive and forget him leaving.

Taking my right hand and wrapping it around my stomach so that my hand itself rested on the new bullet wound, I looked over to where Daryl stood with his ever present crossbow resting on his shoulder. Seeming to have sensed me looking over in his direction, he turned his blue eyes to look at me. His stare to anyone else might've seemed cold, but even from where I stood at I could tell hidden deep in his eyes that he was hurting over the outcome for what'd happened between us after he left with his brother. Without saying a word to him, I smiled slightly at him and nodded.

He watched me a second before he turned back to face the events happening around us with Andrea's return. He didn't smile, didn't act like he knew why I was nodding to him, just turned back to the others. Letting out a quiet sigh, I turned back to face the group as well to see just what it was that Andrea had to say. I tuned back in to the conversation in time to hear them talking about this Governor again with Andrea. "He shot one of the inmates that had survived in here," Hershel said to her and immediately I remembered what Dad had said about Oscar being shot and killed when they were trying to get away.

"We liked him," Daryl said as I looked over to him to see him sit down on the edge of one of the tables in the room we were in, "he was one of us." "And then Kathryn got shot when he came knocking at our front door," Dad said as I watched him motion to where I stood. Andrea looked over to me and I felt another pair of eyes on me off to my side. Looking over, I noticed it was Daryl who was looking at me. Smiling weakly at him, I excuse myself from the others and make my way back to where the cells were, going straight to my cell up on the upper balcony.

**DARYL'S POV**

It wasn't long after Kat left before Rick ended the discussion we were having with Andrea. As everyone dispursed, I looked around for Kat. I guess she'd snuck past me after everyone started moving around again because I couldn't find her in the cell block. Confused, I decided to walk outside into the courtyard and have a look around. When I was getting ready to head back in after not seeing her walking around, I happened to look up and catch movement up in the same towere she'd entered when we first took this prison, _and_ when she and I took another step in whatever kind of relationship it was that we had.

Placing my crossbow onto my shoulder, I entered into the tower and then began climbing my way up to the upper balcony. When my feet were on the floor to the upper part, I looked around before spotting the red head just outside the door and sitting on the floor to the ledge and staring out into the now infested field. Neither of us said a word as I took a seat beside her. It remained silent between us for a few more minutes before I finally looked over at her as she just continued to stare straight ahead.

"Ever since that night," she said finally, "when Shane attempted to rape me in the barn right after we found out about Sophia, you never said a word the day after. You just let me follow you around like a little lost puppy and I told you I felt like I was just a pain to you." "I quickly told you that you weren't," I said looking at her, "you've _never_ been one. Even from day one when you threatened me when I attempted you beat your dad's ass." "You remember that," she asked, a smile gracing her face since she noticed my return. "Yeah," I said smiling back at her as she looked to me finally, "I do."

Her smile suddenly dropped though as she continued to stare at me, causing my own smile to fall as I wondered what was going through that head of hers. "I don't blame you for leaving Daryl," she said as she looked back out to the field again, "he was your brother. And family's important. I know that probably better than anyone else here. I'd do anything for Dad or Carl, or Judith now." "What are you getting at," I asked earning a shrug. "You came back," she said, "even if it was after I got shot and you broke that same promise again. But you came back all the same. I forgive you Daryl."

I watched her as she peered up at me, that same small smile on her face as her eyes told me that she really was telling the truth about forgiving me. Without hesitation, I placed my hand closest to her on the back of her neck and brought her lips to mine for a quick and rough kiss. I'm sure if Merle could see me now, and knew that I had waited for her forgiveness for leaving, I'm sure he'd call me _whipped_. Pushing that thought from my head, I pulled back from her and watched as she continued to smile back up at me. "Let's get you back inside before your dad thinks something happened while you're injured," I said as I stood up then helped her up and back down to the ground.


	58. Daryl's Promise

**KATHRYN'S POV**

It's been hours now since Andrea left and headed back to Woodbury. Most of us are in the cell block, just sitting around. Carol, Beth, and Glenn sat around the lanter on the floor near the outer wall while Maggie sat on the steps near them. Michonne found herself a bucket to sit on near the cells while I stood next to Daryl and Hershel as both Daryl and I leaned against the wall side by side. I think Carl was up on watch and Merle was standing out in the commons area. I looked up towards the landing to the second level when I heard footsteps, seeing Dad walk down holding little Judith in his arms.

As he started down the stairs, Beth started singing into the silent night. I watched as after Dad made his way to the base floor in the cell block, Glenn made his way to stand by Maggie. When I looked over to the door to the cells the same time Dad did, I spotted Merle standing there leaning against the opened door. "You two work things out," he ask looking at me then at Daryl beside me. I looked to Daryl in time to see him peering down at me before I looked back to Dad and nodded. "Slowly but it's getting there," Daryl's voice said from beside me. "Good," Dad said nodding before looking back around at the others.

"What are we going to do about this Governor," I asked as Dad slowly looked back to me, "he's got a lot." "We'll match it," Dad said looking down at me where I stood, "I'm going on a run." "I'll go out tomorrow," Daryl said behind me causing me to look back up at him. When he peered down at me, I _know_ he could see the underlying fear that was seeping in, that he'd leave again and never return this time. "No," Dad said shaking his head as I looked back to him, "you stay here and keep an eye on your brother."

I watched as Daryl looked over to his brother before looking back to Dad. I just watched and listened, waiting to see what he was going to say. I know _I_ was out of the pickings for going on the run with Dad so I wasn't going to volunteer, I knew I needed to rest. My side still hurt like a bitch. On that thought, my hand instinctively went to my side where the stitches were, and that didn't go unnoticed by Dad _or_ Daryl. "I'm glad you're back," Dad said drawing my attention away from my thoughts, "I really am, but I want you to keep Kathryn from doing too much right now." " _Hey_ ," I groaned out glaring up at him. "But I don't trust your brother," Dad said as he ignored my outburst, "and if he causes a problem, then it's on you."

**DARYL'S POV**

I peered down at Kat before looking back to Merle. I watched as he scoffed at me before looking away and out the door into the commons area before I looked back to Rick, Hershel, and Kat beside me. "I got em," I said with a nod as I looked down at her. "Dad you don't need to go out alone," Kat said looking up at her dad. "I'll take Michonne," he said as he shifted his weight on his feet. "You sure that's a good idea," I asked as he looked back to me. "I'll find out," he said looking down at his youngest, "I'll take Carl too. He's ready to start going on runs. I want you to hold it down here."

I looked at Rick and nodded. "You got it," I said as we turned our attention back to Beth as she continued to sing. It wasn't long after that, when I felt Kat start to slightly lean against me. And when I looked down at her, her eyes were nearly closed. "C'mon," I said pushing her off me gently, "let's get you upstairs to your cell." "I can make it on my own," she grumbled out tiredly as she shoved away my hands that I held out to keep her from either falling on her ass or on her face. "I don't doubt that sweetheart," I said laughing lightly, "but you're tired and it'd be best if someone helped you to bed."

She grumbled some more but made no move to stop me from ushering her towards the stairs. As we walked up the stairs, I noticed the look Glenn gave me. I know he still was hesitant on me being around Kat again like before. But if I could keep from it, I'd never leave her side like that again. But then again, if Merle causes some shit here while Rick's gone then me and him both could be out of the group and I'll be breaking yet _another_ promise to her. Breaking away from my thoughts, I looked back to Kat in front of me as she slowly stumbled up the steps. If you didn't know any better, you'd swear she was drunk with the way she wabbled as she moved up the steps to the upper landing to the cells.

Following her to her cell, I helped her ease down onto her bed before moving the then sheet we'd found over her small frame. She seemed to wake up more for a moment, the second her head hit the pillow, before this _sad_ look appeared on her face and she looked away from me. "What's wrong," I asked in a whisper, still hearing Beth singing below us as I sat down on the edge of the bunk. "It's nothing," she whispered, "just me being selfish and stupid." "What is it," I asked again as I took her hand, causing her to look at me. "My birthday's tomorrow," she whispered, "and both Dad and Carl will be gone to get stuff to defeat the Governor while I'm stuck _here_ away from them."

"Hey," I whispered the second I noticed the tear slipping down her cheek, "I promised you I'd do something with you didn't I?" I watched as her watery blue eyes looked up at me as I wiped my thumb across her cheek to clear away the tear. "Yeah," she whispered out. "I may have left after I made that promise," I said, "but I came back before your birthday. This is one promise I intend to keep. After your dad and the others leave for wherever they're going, you and I are going out away from everyone else to do something for your birthday." I watched as she looked up at me, nodding before lowering her eyes to the hand I was still holding. "Good," I said, "now get some sleep. Need you well rested for tomorrow." I watched a blush color her cheeks before leaning forwards and kissing her forehead and then making my way out of her cell.


	59. Birthday Girl

**DARYL'S POV**

Rick, Carl, and Michonne had left out early this morning, just as the sun was rising in the sky. Walking out of the cell I'd recently claimed as my own and walked the short distance to where Kat's was. Peering in at her still sleeping form, I almost didn't have the heart to wake her but I planned on trying to spend the day with her and make up for lost time. Getting one last look at the sleeping beauty before me, I walked into the cell and gently shook her shoulders to wake her, being careful of her stitched up side. "Kat wake up," I whispered as she slowly tried to swat my hand away from her shoulders.

"Go away," she groaned before seeming to try and fall back to sleep. "Wake up birthday girl," I said as I brushed the red hair out of her face. The feel of my fingers against the skin on her face seemed to wake her up enough to slowly open those eyes of her and peer up at me with tired blue eyes. "What do you _want_ Daryl," she groaned out. "I promised you we'd do something," I said smiling at her, "just you and me, for your birthday." "But why does it have to be _now_ ," she whined. "Because if Hershel or Glenn or Maggie see you up moving around more than you need to be," I said standing up, "they'll ruin our day. Now get up."

**KATHRYN'S POV**

Finally getting the point that he wasn't leaving unless I got up, I shooed Daryl from my cell so that I could get changed since he seemed so set on just us two going out away from the others. I know if he planned to take me out to the woods so that we're away from the group, then it'll be risky because of the threat from the Governor. But I have faith that he'll keep me safe no matter what. Of course we could just go to one of the towers furthest away from them. But both scenarioes made me wonder what he planned to do. I know I've all but forgiven him, but I'm not so sure I'm ready for us to just jump back to where we had been _before_.

Pushing the thoughts from my head, once I was fully dressed, I walked out of my cell and slowly down the stairs to where Daryl was standing at the door to the area with the cells. He had his back to me as he leaned against the door jam, but at the sound of my approaching footsteps, he turned his head to look back at me. With a small smile appearing on his face, he straightened up and turned to face me. "Thought ya went back to sleep," he said in a whisper once I reached him. "Sorry," I said my face heating up, "got lost in thought for a moment. Was trying to figure out what you had planned."

"You could've asked," he said smirking down at me. "Yeah but would you have told me," I asked smirking back at him. " _Nope_ ," he said, his smirk growing to a full blown grin. "Yeah I thought as much," I said smiling before beginning to walk out into the commons area and then out of the cell block altogether, "so where are we going?" "Well your dad will most likely find out from either Hershel or Glenn that you were MIA when he gets back," he said as we walked towards the fence, "so I figured to keep from getting him even more upset about anything, we'll stay within the fence to the prison." "So to the tower again then," I asked looking up at him, "I would ask if we're just going to walk around but I don't think he'd be too happy knowing I was walking around and risking the chance of popping a stitch."

**DARYL'S POV**

"And I don't think _you'd_ like to pop a stitch either," I said looking down at her as we made our way to what was quickly becoming our spot, "from what I remember you don't like needles and it's just as bad when you have to get stitched up." I watched as a blush colored her cheeks, but she didn't answer, just kept walking and kept facing forward to where we were walking. When we reached the tower, I allowered her to enter first and then climb up the ladder. I waited below, incase she lost her grip and fell.

When she was up and on the upper level to the tower, I began climbing up and found her sitting on the matress that was left in the tower for the night watchers. I still couldn't believe I'd chosen my brother over _her_ when Rick didn't want him coming back to the prison, and then her actually forgiving me for leaving. Shaking those thoughts from my head, I turned my attention back to her so that I could help her actually _enjoy_ her birthday even with her dad and brother gone to get us more weapons. "Why are you doing this," she finally asked after a few minutes of silence between us.

"Because you don't deserve to be worried about your brother and father on your birthday," I said as I looked over to her, "you've got enough on your plate to worry about right now. Don't need that added to the mix." "But they're all the family I have left besides my new baby sister in the prison," she said looking at me. "I'm aware of that Kat," I said sitting beside her and wrapping my arm around her shoulders as she leaned her head against me, "but today should be about you too, not just your _family_." She remained silent after that, just resting her head against my shoulder and when I looked down at her she had her eyes closed but I could tell she was still awake.

"Happy birthday Kat," I said as I placed my free hand under her chin and lifted her head to look at me as she slowly opened her blue eyes. After making eye contact for a second, I leaned down and kissed her deeply. As the kiss continued, my hand lowered down from her chin and rested on her thigh. When I went to move it further up her thigh, her hand shot out and stopped me before she pulled away and looked up at me. "No," she whispered shaking her head, "not right now. I may have forgiven you Daryl but I still need time be sure that you won't leave like that if I get attached again."

"I understand," I said nodding as I looked down to her, "but I'm not leaving you _again_. The only way I'll leave your side like that is if I'm dead." "Please don't talk like that," she said shaking her head, "I don't want to think about what it'd be like if you weren't here." I didn't answer her on that one, I just brought her lips to mine again. I wasn't going to push her into something she didn't want. She had every right to keep things from going the way it had been for now, she's only trying to protect herself from being hurt again. That's what makes her strong in my opinion, she's a survivor. And I intend to stick around as long as possible to make sure she continues to survive in this world.


	60. Rick's Plan

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I stood in the court yard to the prison, looking towards the tower that we nearly _always_ kept a lookout in. It was night, complete darkness surrounded me as I began to make my way towards the tower again. Today had been a long day. Dad, Daryl, and Hershel had gone to have a little _chat_ with the Governor but when they came back everything was tense with Dad and Daryl. I didn't know what was going on, or what had happened, and I didn't get a chance to ask as I was instantly taken back to my cell and made to lay down and rest or risk popping a stitch.

Walking into the tower, I closed the door behind me before climbing the ladder inside. Looking around once I reached the top, I spotted Daryl seated outside on the ledge that looked out towards the woods. Climbing up the rest of the way, I walked over to where he sat. Looking around, I noticed his crossbow leaning against the building behind him but close enough to reach should he need it. "Shouldn't you be resting," his voice sounded into the near silence of the night. "Can't sleep," I said before sitting down beside him.

When I glanced over at him, I noticed he had a cigarette in his hand and was just releasing a puff of smoke into the night air. "I didn't know you smoked," I remarked as I finally got him to look over at me. He glanced to the lit cigarette in hand before looking back to me with a shrug. "Haven't been able to find any until today," he said before placing the cigarette to his lips again. "Makes sense," I mumbled to myself as I looked out to the woods before looking back to him again, "do you know why Dad looked tense when y'all came back today?" "He hasn't said anything," he said as he looked to the woods, "at least not to me. Don't worry, whatever's bothering him he'll work it out."

**DARYL'S POV**

Rick told me when we came back from meeting with the Governor that we'd have to go back in two days to meet with him again for whatever terms the two had made before. "It's the only way," Rick said after having called a small meeting between him, me, and Hershel to talk about what we were to be doing today, "no one else knows about this." "You gonna tell 'em," I asked looking at him, "your daughter has been worried since we returned. She can sense that you're anxious about something." "Not until after," he said looking away from me, "we have to do it _today_. It has to be quiet."

When he looked back up at me, I turned my head away from him and looked towards the ground in thought. Kat wouldn't be happen when she finds out what her dad did to try and protect the rest of us, even though he seems to be against the idea to begin with. "You got a plan," I asked finally looking back up at him and waited to see what he'd say. As he began to explain what we'd do to get Michonne alone, I couldn't help but wonder just what his daughter would say when she learns what's to become of Michonne. These past few days, it seems as if she's made a friend in the sword wielding woman.

While Rick decided he was going to go have a chat with my brother about helping us out, I decided to make my way into our cell block and look for Kat. I found her in her cell, sitting on her bed with Hershel seated before her. She had her shirt lifted up enough so that he could check the stitching on her side. "Seems to be healing nicely," I heard Hershel say as I stopped at the door and watched him sit back as she lowered her shirt back down over her side. Almost like she sensed me there, Kat looked over to where I stood the second the shirt was down over her side.

"I'll leave you two to talk," Hershel said and got up, walking out of her cell and leaving it just the two of us, with me standing in the doorway still. "Hershel said my stitches should be able to come out any day now," she said smiling and watching me as I walked into her cell and sat down in the seat that Hershel had been occupying moments before. "That's good," I said trying to pass off a convincing smile. "Your hair's getting longer," she said after a few moments and reached forward to run her fingers through my hair. When she looked back into my eyes, her hand still in my hair, she seemed to notice something was off.

"Daryl what's wrong," she asked, her blue eyes looking back and forth between my own as she slowly lowered her hand from my hair. "It's nothing," I said shaking my head, "I'll be going out with Rick, Michonne, probably Merle too when it's time for your dad to deal with the Governor again." "Y'all be safe out there when you leave," she said with a small smile on her lips as she looked back and forth between my eyes again, "be safe and come back to me when it's over." "Of course," I said nodding, even though it was hurting me that I had to lie to her about _why_ we were leaving with Michonne.


	61. Comfort Daryl

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I stood at the gate, watching for the two remaining members of the group to return. A few hours ago, Dad announced to the group what he had been about to do, and to say I was mad he even _considered_ doing it was an understatement. And now, Daryl was out there looking for his brother when Michonne had returned an hour ago without either of them. I stood there, holding myself as I just watched the tree line, watching and waiting for Daryl to return with his brother.

I may not have liked the man, but Merle was a part of Daryl's family and family was more important now than it had been before the turn. The sound of approaching footsteps from behind caused me to turn my head slightly to look back and see who was walking up to me. I spotted Glenn as he made his way slowly towards me before I turned back to face the woods and held myself tighter. "You know your dad feels bad about what he'd decided to do right," he asked when he came to a stop beside me.

"He still considered it," I said as I watched the walkers meander around. "But he didn't go through with it," Glenn said placing a hand on my shoulder, "give him more credit than you currently are. He was thinking of what was best for the group." "But she _earned_ her place here," I said looking back to him, "with us. I mean, what's the point of saving twelve people if you have to sacrafice _one_ to do it?" I watched as he sighed and shook his head, he knew I was right about it not being fair to sacrafice one person just to save the rest. This world is fucked up but the people who try to run it now make that much worse.

"Don't be so hard on your dad," Glenn said one final time before turning and walking off, back into the prison and leaving me alone once more. I turned back to the woods in time to see movement by the trees and the familiar silhouette making it's way slowly up towards the fence. "Daryl," I said running to the gate, key in hand as I waited for him to get closer. When he was close enough, I unlocked the padlock and pulled the gate open far enough for him to walk through. Once he was in, I closed and locked it back before turning to face him.

**DARYL'S POV**

"Daryl," Kat's voice whispered out softly, causing me to turn and look at her. Her blue eyes looking up at me before looking behind her towards the gate and futher back to the woods beyond the fence, and finally she looked back to me. I could see the question in here eyes but she wasn't voicing it. I couldn't hold it back anymore, I just walked up to her and placed my head on her shoulder as the tears I thought I couldn't cry anymore began falling once again. "He's gone," I said, my voice cracking as she instantly wrapped her arms around me.

I felt myself begin to sway as I broke down in front of her. I think if it hadn't been for this small girl, I would've ended up on my ass again like I had when I had to kill my own brother. She didn't say anything, just let me get it out as we stood out there in front of the gate I'd walked through moments before. She didn't give me any of that bullshit _it's okay_ or _everything will be alright_ , because I think she knew it didn't matter what she said. I still lost my brother, and even as much of an asshole he was, he was still my brother and she respected that. I felt her hand rub up and down my back before I finally pulled myself away from her.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I had never seen Daryl this broken. Even when we lost Sophia last year. It was _me_ who had been so broken from that and he'd seen it, along with when I was so close to being raped. Daryl had comforted me then, and now it was my turn to try and comfort him. Peering up into his watery eyes, I lifted my hand and gently brushed away the tear streaks on both of his cheeks, knowing he didn't want the others to see him looking this weak even though he was one of the strongest men I'd ever met. "Everyone's decided what we're going to do," I said after a couple of minutes of silence, "Dad's stepped down from being the group leader. It'll be a group decision from now on."

He pulled away from me and took a few deep and calming breaths before he looked to me and nodded. "What's the decision," he asked, his voice still cracking slightly from crying but other than that and the faint tear marks you'd never know he'd been crying moments before. "We're gonna fight," I said, "this prison is ours. We've lost too many people to give it up without trying to. The plan's been set, we're going to make it look like we fled and lure them further in to ambush them." "You're staying out of this fight _right_ ," he asked as he eyed me.

"I'm fighting too," I said determind, "Hershel, Beth, and Carl are taking Judith and hiding in the woods away from the prison. I'm sticking around to help defend our home." " _Kat_ ," he groaned out. " _No_ ," I said shaking my head, "I want to fight too. You and Dad both know when I set my mind to it I don't back down. Besides Hershel said I should be fine even with my injured side. So I'm fighting too." He groaned again and looked down at the ground before finally looked up to me, his blue eyes meeting my own. " _Fine_ ," he said after seeing the determination in my eyes before nodding for us to make our way back inside to get ready to protect our home.


	62. Our Home

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I stood next to Daryl's bike as he messed with it, looking over at where Dad was checking under the hood of the car next to us. Behind him, I could see Glenn walking over to us as he looked back at Carl who stormed away. He was upset, Dad pulled him back from helping us and was making him go with Hershel, Beth, and little Judith. "I've never seen him this mad," Glenn said looking from Dad and over to where I stood, "even with Lori. He just shut down." I stayed silent, I hadn't seen what happened when Carl lost his mom, I'd been lost in the tombs at the time it happened.

"He's still just a kid," Dad said after glancing at where Carl disappeared to, "it's easy to forget that." I watched as Dad just walked off after that, leaving me by the cars with Daryl and Glenn. I glanced to Glenn before watching him turn and walk off into the cell block to probably collect anything left over that he needed to get. Looking back, I spotted Daryl sitting on the ground by his bike. Walking over to him, I peered down at him as he continued to stare at the bike before him. "You know Merle never did nothing like that his whole life," he said, not even looked up over at me as he spoke. "It's because of him we have a chance," I said as he looked over at me.

Holding out my hand, I waited for him to grab it before he hoisted himself up off the ground. Giving his had a squeeze as I sent him a quick smile, I let go of his hand and walked off to go inside the cell block and get my weapon before heading to my place for this. Glenn helped me get into the riot gear just like him before I went to join him up on the walk between the two cell blocks outside. The Governor's people were already in the prison and then when we heard the prison alarm, we just had to wait for them to run back out. "Watch yourself," he said looking at me before he peered over the wooden barrier we'd set up and watched for them.

"Get out of here," I shouted as soon as the first people came rushing out of the block and within our gun's sights. "Get the hell out of here," Glenn shouted after me as we both opened fire on the fleeing people. We continued to fire as this one man, wearing an eye patch, came running out from the cell block and drawing all of Glenn's fire as he had this angry look on his face. The man stopped for a second, aiming his gun directly at me and Glenn. "Kathryn get _down_ ," Glenn said grabbing me just as the sound of bullets hitting the barrier we were behind reached my ears.

**GLENN'S POV**

The sound of the bullets surrounded us as I looked at Kathryn from where I crouched in front of her. She looked panicked as she sat there leaning against the barrier, breathing heavily. "Kathryn you alright," I asked quickly dropping my gun and placing my hands on her shoulders. "I'm fine," she said finally looking up at me with a nod before standing up and opening fire on the Governor and his people again. Following suit, we continued until the vehicles they arrived in pulled out of the area as fast as they could. As the sound of shooting died down, Kathryn pulled her helmet off before turning to look at me with a smile on her face. "We _did_ it," she said grinning before wrapping her arms around me in a hug.

" _Yes we did_ ," I said smiling and hugging her back as I looked over her shoulder to where Maggie was standing and looking at me with a smile on her face. "C'mon let's meet up with the others," I heard Maggie shout over to me before walking away from where she was stationed at. I pulled away from Kathryn before wrapping my arm around her shoulders and leading her off the catwalk and back into the cell block before meeting everyone else down in the courtyard. We stood by the gate, Maggie on my left and Kathryn on my right, as the others slowly made their way to us.

"Any fatalities," Rick asked looking around. "Axel was shot," Carol said looking down before looking back up at him, "he didn't make it." "Damn," I heard Daryl mutter from over by Michonne. "We should go after them," Michonne said looking to Rick. "Yeah," Kathryn said beside me. "We should finish it," Daryl said nodding. "It _is_ finished," Maggie said from my other side. "They could regroup Maggie," Kathryn said looking at her, "we can't take that chance. He won't stop." "They're right," Carol said nodding, "we can't keep living like this. We'd never _survive_." "Let's check on the others first," Rick said before we all started following him back inside.

**DARYL'S POV**

I stood with everyone inside the cell block, helping Kat get out of her riot gear as we waited for the others to make it back from their hiding place. When I helped her with the part that covered her chest and stomach, she seemed to suck in a breath, like what I did hurt her. "You alright," I asked stopping as I peered around at her as she stood with her back facing me. "Fine," she said looking back at me, "just a little tender from firing the gun. And I think the body armor caught a ricochet close to where I got shot."

Hearing that, I began taking the piece of body armor off her as I heard the others around us talking. When she was freed of it, I gently lifted up her shirt where the older gunshot was to find a forming bruise just above the stitches on her side. "Damn," I muttered looking at it before lowering her shirt back down and looking at her, "you sure you're alright?" "I'm fine Daryl," she said smiling, "it's just a bruise. I'll survive." I watched her for a good long moment before nodding, making sure she wasn't hiding something from me. When we turned back to face the others, they were already getting ready to head out and go after the Governor.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

It was just Dad, Michonne, and Daryl that left to finish everything with the Governor. But it was the next morning before they came back. "Daddy," I said, a sigh of relief coming out as I ran over to him and quickly hugged him. When I peered up at him, he had this sort of _smile_ on his face which caused me to become confused. When I looked behind him, that was when I noticed there was a bus among the two vehicles they'd originally taken. "What's this," I asked looking up at him. "They're going to be staying with us," he said peering down at me as I heard somone walking up behind me.

Looking back, I spotted Daryl as he made his way over to Dad and me. Looking back to the bus, I watched as these people walked out from inside the bus. Older people, some kids, even two of the four people that had appeared in this prison when Dad went to go rescue Glenn and Maggie from the Governor. I looked back up at Dad the moment I felt his hand come to rest on the back of my shoulders. That smile still on his face as he stared at the bus in front of us. Glancing down at me for a second, he motioned with his head towards the bus before looking back up. When I glanced up, I spotted one familiar face. " _Mom_ ," I shouted before running towards her.


	63. Hunting Trip

**KATHRYN'S POV**

My mom was alive, she'd been in Woodbury all this time. Now _months_ later, she and I had been nearly inseperable. Of course, when I wasn't around her I was with Daryl. Daryl, things have gotten better between us thankfully, so much so we're actually sneaking off to do _things_ again. And let me tell you, Mom has _noticed_. When Daryl and I got back from our _activities_ this last time, she was waiting for us by the door to cell block C. Daryl walked on by her, not even phased it seemed by the look she gave him, and left it to where I had to deal with her on my own. After watching him walk off, I turned my attention back to her to see she had her arms crossed. "Please don't tell Dad," I said looking at her.

"How long have you and him been sneaking off like that to do something _other_ than hunt," she asked, a smirk on her face. "Um a year and a half I think," I muttered, a blush covering my cheeks. "He good to you," she asked, her face transforming from a smirk to a warm smile. "He's protected me for a while now," I said nodding, "so I'd say yes. And he hasn't forced anything. If he doesn't think I'm comfortable with whatever we do, or if I say so, then he backs off." "Do you plan to eventually tell your dad," she asked. "Maybe," I said shrugging, "I don't know. After what happened with Shane, I don't think Dad trusts many people. I'm surprised he even let's me remain close to Daryl."

"Well you told me that Daryl was the one who saved you from him," she said, "so that's probably got something to do with it. He probably thinks he can trust Daryl around you, enough so that he knows Daryl won't force himself onto you." "And he won't," I said, "he _respects_ women. More than his brother did from what I've been told." "I remember what you told me about his brother," she said nodding, "but I think that he's a good choice." " _Mom_ ," I groaned out as she started laughing. "I'm just saying Kathryn," she said smiling. "I'm going on a two day hunt with him tomorrow," I said as I pulled away from her, "so I need to go and get ready." "You both be safe tomorrow then," she said before kissing my head and letting me walk to my cell block.

**DARYL'S POV**

Me and Kathryn found ourselves the next day in our favorite hunting spot, settling in for the two days we'd be away from the rest of the prison. I was happy that things had somewhat returned to normal between us, even if it took a couple months to do so. Kathryn's gotten really good at hunting and tracking since I've been teaching her after we lost the farm. I looked over at her as we were in our little perch we'd built in a tree after finding this spot months ago, watching as she hung up the few squirrels we'd managed to grab before the sun started to go down. "What're you staring at," she asked, not even looking over at me. "This young woman," I said still watching her, "who always seemed to think that I only saw her as a _kid_."

She turned to look at me, her red hair pulled back into a bun and her blue eyes showing tears brimming in them. When she fully turned to face me, I moved over closer to her and wrapped my arms around her waist before kissing her. "What was that for," she asked laughing as she pulled away from the kiss and smiled at me. "I don't know," I said with a shrug before turning around and looking back at my small bag of things I'd brought with us for our little stay away from the group. "Daryl," Kat's voice came from behind me a few seconds later. "Yeah," I asked not even looking over my shoulder before I felt her wrap her arms around my stomach and rest her head on my shoulder.

Glancing over, I watched as she turned her head to look at me. "How come I don't get to see you shirtless around me," she asked still watching me, "I mean I've seen your scars. I saw them back on the farm when you got hurt and you told me about them." "Kat you've gotta remember how I feel about them," I said, letting out a defeated sigh as I looked away from her and down at my hands. "Sorry Daryl," she whispered as I slowly felt her move away from me. When her presence was gone, I turned around to see that it was her turn to have her back to me. Groaning, I moved so that I was behind her but she didn't move a muscle.

"Kat," I said watching her but she didn't turn around to face me, " _Kathryn_." " _What_ ," she groaned out finally, glancing over her shoulder. "Look at me," I said, earning another groan from her as she finally turned around to face me. "What Daryl," she asked, her blue eyes peering up to mine as she seemed to just be done with talking all together at that point. "C'mere," I said before taking her hands and pulling her closer to me. She watched me curiously as I pulled her hands closer to me before placing them flat against my shirt near the buttons in the center. Her eyes quickly looked up at me. Staring her in the eye, I nodded before moving my hands so she could continue.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I glanced down at my hands as I hesitantly and slowly began to unbutton Daryl's sleeveless flannel. When the first button popped open, my eyes intantly looked back up to him to see that he was watching every move I made. I hesitated again until he looked to me and nodded again. Gaining a little confidence, I moved on to the next button. And when it was freed, I moved on to the next. I continued the pattern until the last button was freed and the flannel opened slightly. Glancing up at him, I lifted my arms to rest my hands on his shoulders before slowly dragging them down his arms, taking his flannel with them. When he was completely shirtless, my eyes wandered over his now exposed chest.

When he placed his hands on my hips, I finally looked up at him. Smiling softly, I leaned forward before placing a light peck on his lips. "Thank you," I whispered as I pulled back so that there was some space between us once again. "We need to get some sleep," he said after nodding, "we've got a lot of hunting to do if we want to keep everyone back at the prison fed." "Okay," I said smiling before watching as he sprawled out on our little ledge high above the ground and out of the reach of walkers. When he was settled, I moved to lay next to him and closed my eyes. Just as I began to drift to sleep, I felt him wrap his arm around my waist before pulling me closer. "G'night Kat," his voice drifted into my ears before I fell into the darkness that was sleep.


	64. Going on a Run

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

The rest of our hunt had been very productive before we returned back to the prison. We managed to shoot a large deer along with more squirrels and other small critters. And when I say _we_ , well I really mean _Daryl_. I caught the smaller animals, but he was the one to snag the deer. Back at the prison, I'm next to Carol in a dirty white crop tank, shorts, and my favorite boots as I help her cook for everyone that morning before going on the run with the others. Since Dad stepped down from being the _leader_ of the group, we've set up a small councel that has a few of the original members for the group on it. It's, Hershel, Glenn, Sasha, Carol, Daryl, and finally me.

"Hi Momma," I said smiling as my mother walked over to the grill we'd set up outside. "You and Daryl did good on your hunting trip," she said smiling as she looked at the food we'd managed to get that was now cooking on the open flames. "Daryl got the deer," I said shaking my head smiling as I glanced down at what I was doing, "not me. You know that I can't take the credit for that." "Speaking of _Daryl_ ," she said just as she glanced back, making me lift my head to see him walking up to us. He looked a little flustered as he glanced around at everyone shouting out _hey_ to him, causing me to have to cover my mouth with the back of my hand to hide my smile and laughter.

**DARYL'S POV**

I watched as Kat stood next to Carol, her mother standing in front of her, as she watched me while I walked over to them. "Hey Daryl," she said smiling before looking down to what was in front of her. "Smells good over here," I said looking from her to her mother and then to Carol. "Eat," Kat said, passing me a bowl of some of the meat we'd caught over the hunting trip we'd just come back from. "Daryl I need you to see something," Carol said looking at me before looking to someone on the other side of Kat, "Patrick you wanna take over for me and help Kathryn here while I'm gone?" "Yes ma'am," he said before quickly walking to her spot and smiling at Kat beside him. Almost instantly I watched as she looked over at him and smiled back hesitantly while becoming some what uncomfortable.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

_Why_ did it have to Patrick that Carol asked to help me out with the grill. I looked back to Daryl as Patrick came to stand beside me. "Go see what she wants," I whispered taking his now empty bowl, "I'll see you when we prepare to leave for that run with the others." He nodded as he handed me the bowl before turning to walk away, only to be stopped by Patrick's nervous sounding voice. "Uh Mr. Dixon," he said causing Daryl to look back at him, "I just wanted to thank you for bringing that deer back yesterday." "I didn't do it alone," he said before his attention turning to me once again.

"No I know," Patrick said quickly looking to me then right back to Daryl, "but Kathryn shot down my thanks saying that it was you. But the deer was a real treat sir, and I'd be _honored_ to shake your hand." I bit back a laugh as I watched Patrick hold out his hand, waiting for Daryl to shake it. Daryl eyed his hand, before glancing to Carol beside him and finally to me where I still stood behind the grill. When he looked back to Patrick before cleaning off his fingers and finally gripping Patrick's hand in a firm grip and shaking it once. Watching him clean his fingers, I had to quickly look away as my cheeks began to burn, damn those memories.

When Daryl and Carol walked off, I looked to Patrick beside me as he shook his head, this smile on his face. "He's not some _rockstar_ you know," I said as he looked up at me. "I know," he said smiling, "but still it's because of him, _and you_ , that we get some kind of meat to eat most days anymore." Rolling my eyes, I shook my head before looking up to the direction Daryl and Carol had walked off in. I could just make them out with their backs to us as they stared out at the outer fencing to the prison. Looking back to what was directly in front of me, I smiled when I spotted someone standing there. Grabbing a plate, I dished them out some cook food and handed it off to them before going back to what I was doing.

"Hey Kat," a voice said, snapping me out of my thoughts and daydreams. Looking up, I spotted Daryl walking over towards the shelter I was standing under. "Yeah," I asked as he got closer. "Ready to go," he asked, "need to be leaving soon." "Yeah," I said nodding before walking around the grill as Carol walked up and took my place next to Patrick. "I saw you look away earlier," Daryl muttered under his breath as we walked away from everyone and elbowing me slightly, "what was going through that little mind of yours?" "You know very well _what_ ," I smirked and elbowed him back, "you did it on purpose."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said looking away from me, trying to hide a smirk. "Okay then," I said with a smirk of my own, "so what were you and Carol talking about back there, _Tarzan_." "We back to that old joke," he asked looking down at me while I only shrugged, "and she was just telling me that the prison may not be able to spare many people for the run today." "We'll manage if that's the case," I said looking up at him as we stopped near one of the cars we were taking. Sasha, Tyresse, Glenn and Zack were standing by the cars as we approached, getting everything ready to go.

As I helped put the supplies we'd need into the back of the truck, I stopped when I heard Zack's voice as he called out to Beth. "Okay so are you going to say goodbye," he shouted out, causing me to stop and look back to watch them. " _Nope_ ," she called back, not even looking at him and causing me to snigger at his reaction. "It's like a damn _romance novel_ ," Daryl said rolling his eyes and he came to stand next to me. "Hush Dixon," I said elbowing him in his side while smiling up at him. "Take your ass over to the damn bike," he said rolling his eyes and walking away from me. I knew he caught on to why I was smiling up at him. He had _no_ room to talk when it came to romace shit.

Starting up the motorcycle, I waited until he was ready before I climbed on behind me. As we pulled down the drive towards the front gate, we spotted Michonne standing with Dad and Carl near the gate. "You're finally back," I said smiling at my friend as Daryl turned the bike off until we got going again. "Kathryn you be careful out there," my dad said causing me to look over at him as he stood next to us. "Don't worry Daddy," I said smiling up at him, "Daryl will watch my back." I watched as Dad, Daryl, and Michonne got to discussing the run before she volunteered to tag along. "Be careful out there," Dad said again as Daryl started the bike and began to pull away from him with the others to follow. I just hope this will be a good and safe run today.


	65. In the Showers

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I stood under the spray of cold water from the shower stall back at the prison. I was covered in blood and walker guts, but it wasn't _my_ blood. We'd made it back to the prison but not completely unscathed. We lost Zack at the store we'd gone to for the run and I don't think we brought any supplies we'd gathered back with us. I nearly lost my life there today too, and Daryl was _furious_ that I'd put myself in danger in the first place. He'd told me to do something when all those walkers started falling from the ceiling, but I ignored him and tried to help Zack which nearly cost me my own life.

Daryl didn't say anything to me when we got back to the prison moments ago, just climbed off his bike and headed inside. Recieving an order from Mom to go shower, that's what I did after gathering some clothes for me to change into after I was done. Closing my eyes, I ducked my head under the cold stream of water to wash away the soap I'd put in my hair. When I was almost done, I heard a noise behind me in the rest of the wash room. "Who's there," I called out, turning around and looking for any sign that someone was there after hearing a noise. Not getting a response, I take a tentive step forward and moved the thin curtain out of the way to have a better look before I spotted _Daryl_.

**DARYL'S POV**

I stared at Kat as she looked back at me. She didn't try hiding herself from me, I'd seen her in various stages of undress since we lost the farm, it would've been pointless to hide now. "Daryl what are you doing in here," she asked stepping back into her stall she'd been occupying with me following her into it. "Do you realize how _worried_ I was earlier," I asked as I ignored her question, "how many times do I have to nearly lose you before you stop risking your neck for everyone else?" " _Really_ Daryl," she asked looking up at me, "you want me to stop going on runs? To be selfish and stay where it's _safe_ with so many needing as many people as able to go out and scavange for food and supplies?"

"Kat that's not what I meant," I said looking at her. "No," she said shaking her head, "that's _exactly_ what you meant! I can't cower behind that fence out there Daryl! It's not who I am and you know that! So don't ask me to step down from what I do now Daryl, because you know I _won't_." She was mad at me, and she had every right to be with what she figured I was trying to say. But she didn't understand that if I lost her now, after all that we've been through, I don't know if I could really survive in this world. I watched as she continued to glare at me, her fists clenching and unclenching as she watched me, until I finally made my move.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I watched as he stormed forward into the cell, and how I didn't notice it before, but that was when I realized that Daryl was naked before me. He pushed me against the shower wall in the stall we'd been occupying this whole time we'd been arguing. My back arched the second I felt the cold wall touch my skin, pushing my exposed body that much closer to his. His hands made their way to my neck, just at the base of my head, before he pulled me in for a bruising kiss. The kiss itself made my knees weak, and had it not been for Daryl then I would've been on the floor of the stall.

As the kiss continued, I felt my anger about what he was asking me to do slowly fall away. Its funny to me how it seemed like every time something happened to me that was life changing or _threatening_ , our relationship always changed. Shaking the thoughts out of my head, I feel his hands slowly lower themselves down my body until he leaves them on the curve of my ass. I moan into his kiss as he pushes me closer towards him, his tongue entering my mouth when I opened it to moan. Finally, his hands drift a little further down south until gripping the backs of my thighs.

Lifting me up by my thighs, he presses me harder into the wall, my legs wrapping around him as I'm lifted up only by his hands and the wall that helps support me. I could still feel the cold water running down from the shower head above us as I pulled my lips away from his to breath. You'd _think_ that cold water would ruin the moment, but I don't even think either of us could truly feel it unless we were trying to focus on it. Daryl moved his mouth down the side of my neck where he began kissing it lightly, nibbling here and there once he found my sweet spot in the crook of my neck.

As I moaned out from the pleasure his mouth was giving me from my neck, I felt his hand move down and in between us. But it was when I felt the tip of his hard erection press against my folds that I realized just what he was doing. But, before I could even open my mouth to get a complete sentence out of my mouth and stop him so I could tell him of my biggest kept secret, he'd taken away my innocence with a swift jerk of his hips. I cried out, in pain or pleasure I wasn't sure, but I believe it was a good mix of both. I wasn't sure if Daryl had ever been with a virgin or not, or if he knew what it felt like when he was, but judging by how he didn't waist a _second_ after the first penetration told me he most likely hadn't been with one.

Even with the pleasure mixing in with the pain I was still feeling, if it wasn't for the shower's water hitting the top of my head, I'm almost positive he would've seen the tears rolling down my face. As he continued on, pistoning away, the pain began to slide away and was replaced by nothing but pleasure. And even with the hint of pain still lingering behind, I could feel that _delicious_ telltale sign of my approaching orgasm that was always the best when _he_ brought me to it, and this time was no exception. My breathing became labored as I waited for him to send me over that wonderful edge.

It finally overtook me, only after he moved to hit that special sweet spot that was inside. My walls tightened instantly around his invading memeber as his mouth covered mine, swallowing up my cries of pure pleasure. Seconds later he climax and coated my inner walls with his seed. When my body had finished milking him of everything he had to offer, he pulled out of me. Instantly coming down from my euphoric high, I winced as the pain of losing my virginity so roughly came back to the front of my mind.

My legs collapsed under me, allowing me to find myself on the floor of the prison shower. Looking down to my legs, I watched as the water running around me tented a light pink or red from the blood of my virginity. Sighing, I looked up to find Daryl still standing there, staring at me. I was ready to see anger in his eyes, who wouldn't, I'd just kept a pretty _big_ secret from him. But then again he'd never asked if I was a virgin or not so it's also his fault for not checking first. But no, I didn't see the look of _anger_ in his eyes. No, he was _horrified_.


	66. Time Apart

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I watched as he stared at me a moment longer where I still sat on the floor of the shower stall before he turned around and stormed out. I didn't have the strength or willpower to get to my feet and go after him, or to even call after him either. I just simply lowered my head and closed my eyes, letting the water wash over me and wash away the evidence of what happened. When I could stand, I stayed an extra moment under the cold spray of water before turning it off and walking out. I was still sore as I changed into some clothes. I was grateful that what happened, happened in the shower so that noone could see the tear streaks on my face. But I knew my eyes were bloodshot as I had cried even _more_ after he'd stormed away.

I didn't go back to our cell block when I walked out of the showers. I couldn't face him right now, and I didn't want Dad asking what was wrong. No, I headed to Mom's cell block where we'd placed everyone from Woodbury and those we'd picked up since then. I ignored everyone as I entered the block and made my way to her cell on the upper landing just like mine in the cell block I share with Dad and the others. I reached her cell door to see her moving around in her room. "Oh hey honey," she said looking back at me before noticing the look on my face, "Kathryn what's wrong?"

"Can I stay here with you for a few days Momma," I asked looking at her. "Of course," she said looking at me worriedly, "but sweetie what's wrong." I looked at her before walking in and sitting down on her bottom bunk. I watched as she moved to sit next to me before I took a deep breath. "You know we went on that run today," I said looking at her as she nodded. "Yeah and you lost that boy," she said nodding, "what about it?" "Well thing with me and Daryl," I said looking down to my hands in my lap, "it seems like every time something happens that could harm me or just changes our lives now our relationship changes." "Changes," Mom asked looking at me confused.

I sighed before nodding. "For example," I said, "when I was almost raped by Dad's former partner, Daryl saved me and then after that let me follow him around non stop. Then when we lost the farm we'd been staying at, that's when he first kissed me and started our relationship to where it is now." "So what does this have to do with what brought you to me," she asked looking at me. "I was a virgin this whole time," I said sniffling as I remembered the look he gave me, "I almost got killed earlier when I tried to save Zack. So Daryl confronted me in the showers when I was cleaning all that _blood_ off of me. One thing led to another." I stopped there, letting her take what she could from it.

"Did he _rape_ you Kathryn," she asked, I could see the protective _mother bear_ coming out as she assumed he had. "God no," I said shaking my head, "I just never got to tell him. And he didn't go easy with it. The look he gave me before he stormed out, I just don't know if he'll ever forgive me for not telling him. Hell I don't know if he'll forgive _himself_ for how rough he had been with that being my first time." "Sweetie just give him space," she said hugging me close, "I'm sure he's more upset with himself. He's never forced himself onto you, and even though what you're telling me was _concentual_ , he probably thinks he forced you into that." I just nodded and allowed her to hold me as I waited for the few tears that were still falling to stop.

**DARYL'S POV**

I've been out of the prison ever since yesterday when I left Kat in the showers. Out in the woods with only my crossbow, wanting to shoot anything I could. How could I have been so _stupid_? There were reasons why we didn't go further than we had until after that run. I kept promising myself, and _her_ , that I'd never hurt her. And I broke that promise. Seems like that is all I give her anymore, broken promises. When I finally returned to the prison, Rick was out by the fence and let me in. "Where you been," he asked looking at me after closing the gate behind me again. "Hunting," I said before holding up the string of small animals to show him. Seeming to buy what I said, and not mentioning anything else, he nodded before leading the way back up to the prison.

When I walked into our cell block, I looked around for the familiar red head that was always holding her little sister when she wasn't helping out with other things. Not seeing her with Little Ass-Kicker but Beth with the baby instead, I began to wonder and worry what had happened to her. Glenn and Maggie started to walk by me at that point, catching my attention away from the blonde with the baby. "Where's Kat," I asked looking at them. They shared a look before Glenn looked to me. "She's been in the cell block with her mom since yesterday," he said, "ever since we got back from that run."

After that, both Glenn and Maggie walked off, leaving me to my thoughts. She's been staying with her mom? Ever since that run? Ever since what happened in the showers. She's staying away from me. I guess it's for the best that she stays away from me. I'm no better than _Shane_ for what happened in the shower. Only difference is, I got further than he did. There was no one there to stop what happened. Shoving those thoughts from my head, I placed my catches down on the table in the commons area to the block before heading towards the cells. Walking up to the stairs, I walked to my cell and placed my crossbow down on the floor in my cell before walking to the end of the upper level.

I walked to her cell door, peering in just to see if she moved her stuff. When I looked in, all her things were there, just some clothes missing. Looking back over my shoulder, I wondered why she was staying with her mother in D but left her things here in C. Deciding I'd never get an answer from just _staring_ at her things, I moved on from in front of her cell and headed back to where mine was. I walked into my cell but I didn't make it far enought to be able to sit down. As soon as I got close to my bunk bed, that's when I heard it. Gunshots filled the air, coming from the direction of the other block. And my only thought at that moment, was on Kathryn.


	67. Start of Something

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I was standing out on the upper balcony to D block wearing nothing more than a white stained tank top and a pair of boxer shorts I'd snagged on a run a few months ago with Daryl, and my hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. "Morning Kathryn," Mom's voice reached my ears before I turned back to look at her. Before I could even answer her, the sound of snarls and screams reached my ear second before gunshots did. Panicked, I looked down to the main floor to see everyone running around. Some had guns, others were panicking enough where they ran around like their heads were cut off.

Instantly, I spotted Lizzie and Mika, to girls who were staying here with their single father. "Lizzie," I shouted down to the girls, "Mika, _up here_!" They looked up at me before turning and running for the stairs. Everything happened so fast as I ran back into Mom's cell and grabbed my knife. Running back out, I ushered Lizzie and Mika into the cell and told Mom to close it. I looked around as everything quieted down. When I looked towards the stairs, Daryl had walked up them and was looking in the cells in the opposite direction.

Sighing and putting my thoughts back to what was at hand, I turned my back to him and walked down the other side of the balcony to check for any more walkers in the cell block. I guess I wasn't paying too much attention because the next thing I know, I'm wrestling with a walker just to keep it from sinking it's teeth into me. I guess I screamed out because I heard Daryl's voice over the snarling. "Kat _duck_ ," he shouted. Barely having any time, I ducked down just _seconds_ before one of his bolts found itself in the walkers skull. When it went limp, I let the thing drop to the ground, along with my knife I had.

**DARYL'S POV**

" _Kathryn_ ," Rick shouted as he rushed past me. Instantly, he had his eldest in his arms, rocking back and forth with her as her mother walked out of the cell next to me. "I'm okay Daddy," I heard her say quietly, her head resting on his shoulder as her arms wrapped around him. I locked eyes with her for a second. I would've asked if she was alright, but then the events from the other night came back to mind. All I could do was avert my eyes and walk away a few steps. When I looked over to my right, Kat's mom was looking back and forth between me and Kat, like she was trying to figure something out. Clearing my throat, I watched as Kat pulled away from her father before they turned to look at the walker on the floor at her feet.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I stood next to Dad, his arm wrapped protectively around me as Glenn came to stand on my other side while we looked down at the walker. "Jesus," I said looking down, "that's Patrick." I didn't like the kid because he tried to get _too friendly_ with me, but I'd never wish _this_ on him. Or wish whatever it was that killed him on to him for that matter. He was a good guy after all. "Stay up here," Dad said looking at me, "we're going to walk around and make sure none of these people are going to reanimate on us." I nodded and removed myself from my father's arms as he, Glenn, and Daryl walked around the upper landing and then down on the main floor to make sure it was safe.

I turned to Mom after they walked off, allowing her to envelop me into a hug as Lizzie and Mika slipped out of the cell and went to search for their father. I watched over Mom's shoulder as more of the group moved to the end cell at the far end of the upper balcony, all of them talking about something. "I'll be right back," I whispered to her before moving to walk closer to the group as I heard what they started saying. "So it's a sickness from the walkers," Bob asked as I came to stand next to him. When I looked to my left, Daryl was leaning against the cell wall next to me. Ignoring the fact that I wished things were okay with us, I listened as they talked while crossing my arms across my chest to hold myself in a sense.

"No these things happened before they were around," Doctor S said as he looked around at all of us, "could be pneumococcal. Most likely an aggressive flu strain." "Someone locked him in just in time then," Hershel said but I shook my head. "Charlie used to sleepwalk," I said looking around at the group, "Mom told me that." "Yeah," Daryl said nodding in agreement, "he always locked himself in. Hell he was just eating barbecue yesterday." "How could anyone die in a single day just from a _cold_ ," I asked looking down to Doctor S, waiting to see if he had any answers for that.

"I had a sick pig," Dad said causing me to look over at him as did everyone else, "it died quickly. saw a sick boar in the woods." "Pigs and birds," Hershel said, "that's how these things spread in the past. We need to do something about those hogs." "Maybe we got lucky," I asked looking around, "maybe these two cases are it? It could happen, _right_?" "I haven't seen anybody be lucky in a _long_ time," Bob said as he looked over at me while I sighed and nodded. He was right, with this world now it was hard to catch a lucky break for long. "All of us in here," Hershel said as he looked around at us, "we've all been exposed to whatever this is." "Let's worry about burying our dead for now," I said as I looked around, "we can worry about this _sickness_ after."


	68. Sick

**DARYL'S POV**

Hershel called a meeting after Rick walked out of the cell block to go and inform everyone else about what had happened in there. We sat in the prison's library surrounding a table so that we could look at each other. I found myself sitting between Carol and Sasha while Kat was situated next to Glenn. Everyone's noticed the two of us keeping our distance from each other these past couple of days, but no one's said anything about it yet. She was sitting there, leaning against Glenn, still wearing the tank and boxer shorts she'd been in when we entered the cell block upon hearing the shots. "Patrick was _fine_ yesterday," Carol said from beside me as she looked to the others, "and _died_ overnight. Two people died that quick?"

"How is that even _possible_ ," Kat asked as she lifted up her head and looked around at everyone there. "We'll have to seperate everyone that's been exposed," Carol said looking at us. "That's everyone in that cell block," I said looking at her before looking to the others, "that's all of us." "And maybe more," Kat said shaking her head, "there's no way in knowing just how many people have been exposed to be honest." "We know that this sickness can be lethal," Hershel said, "what we don't know is how _easily_ it can spread." "Is anyone else showing symtoms that we know of," Glenn asked as we looked around at each other. "We can't just wait and see," Kat said shaking her head, "there's children in that block and in our block too."

"We need a place for them to go," Hershel said nodding, "they can't stay in D. We can't risk going in there to clean it up." "They can go into cell block A," Carol said after thinking. " _Death row_ ," Glenn asked looking at her, "I'm not sure that's much of an upgrade." "It's _clean_ ," I said looking at him, "that's an upgrade in and of itself." "Daryl and Carol are right," Kat said nodding, "think it'd work for Doctor S?" "I'll help Caleb get it set up," Hershel said nodding. Before anyone could speak up again, we could hear coughing out in the hallway. Standing quickly to our feet, we spotted Tyresse walking down the hall with Karen who seemed to be feeling under the weather.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I stood in the doorway next to Glenn as Hershel and the others talked with Tyresse and Karen. They talked him out of taking her back to D, saying it'd be best to take her to A instead where she could be isolated from the others so that the sickness didn't spread. "David's been coughing too," Karen said after Hershel said he'd have Doctor S look at her. "I'll get him," I said nodding and going to move before Glenn's hand landed on my shoulder. "No _I'll_ go," he said before walking past me and everyone else. "We'll have to call another meeting later," Hershel said after Sasha, Tyresse and Karen walked past us. "I'll get to burying the dead ones until then," Daryl said, his voice coming up from right behind me and causing me to jump slightly.

"You wear gloves and a mask," Hershel said looking to Daryl. After that, Hershel walked away before I glanced back to Daryl. When his blue eyes landed on me I could see he was debating on saying something to me. "I'm going to go check on Mom," I said just before he could say anything and started walking off. I wasn't going to force Daryl to be around me after what happened in the showers, if he wanted space then I'd give him the space needed. But I hope he knew that I didn't hate him for what happened that afternoon. Contrary to what he probably believes, I actually enjoyed it even if it was a little _too_ rough for my first time.

By the next morning, we were figuring that _maybe_ we did catch a lucky break and no one else was going to get sick from whatever that was that killed Patrick and Charlie. But then everyone started getting it. Mom went to A _early_ this morning to see Doctor S when she started coughing. It was well after day break before I started feeling not so hot myself. When my cough started getting worse, I began making my way out of the block and headed for A myself. As I walked outside, I could hear talking. Glancing up, I noticed it was Hershel and Glenn talking. Trying to keep quiet, I only made it to the end of the small covered walk way before I failed and coughed out loud.

**GLENN'S POV**

I stood outside talking to Hershel. I was hoping like hell this would be the end of our troubles for now before I heard a cough off to the side. When my eyes landed on Kathryn leaning against the pole, my heart dropped. I instantly began making my way over to her before she held up her hand, as if to keep me and Hershel away. "I'm going to see Doctor S," she said as she slowly opened her eyes and looked to the both of us, "don't worry, I'll be alright." "Do you want some help," I asked making a step towards her again before she held up her hand once more. "No," she said shaking her head, "and _please_ don't tell Daryl. I don't want him coming near me and getting sick too."

I watched as she turned and began stumbling her way away from us. Turning back, I glanced at Hershel before glancing towards the last place I saw Daryl, back in our cell block. "We're going to tell him right," I asked looking to Hershel, "I mean I know something's up between them to have her stay with her mom in D these last few days, but they're probably closer than me and her." "She doesn't want us to," he said shaking his head, "and unless he asks at the meeting in a little while, we won't say anything. C'mon, we need to find Rick and Carl, let them know that she's sick now." Looking back in the direction she left in, I sighed before looking back at him and nodded.


	69. Strong

**DARYL'S POV**

Hershel called an emergancy meeting after Sasha found herself having to go to A to get looked at by Doctor S. I sat there with Glenn, Hershel, Carol, and Michonne who was covering for Sasha while she couldn't be there. I hadn't seen Kat since the first meeting after the attack in D and I was beginning to worry about her. "This sickness is spreading," Hershel said as he snapped me out of my thoughts about Kat, "everyone who survived the attack is coming down with it. Sasha, Caleb, and now others too." "So what do we do," Carol asked looking at Hershel. That was a good question. "Well first things first," he said, "cell block A is isolation. We keep the sick people there like we tried with Karen and David."

"The hell we going to do about that," I asked looking at everyone there, "that was two people that were murdered right under our noses." "Ask Rick to look into it," Carol said from beside me, "try to make a timeline of who was where and when. But what are we going to do to stop _this_?" "There is no _stopping_ it," Hershel said, "it has to run its course." "But it just kills you," Michonne said. "The illness doesn't," he said, "the symptoms do. We need antibiotics." "We've been through every pharmacy nearby though," I said, "and then some. There's nothing left." "That veterinary college at West Peachtree Tech," Hershel said, "that's once place people may not have thought to check. The drugs for animals are the same as what we need."

"That's 50 miles," I said looking at him before looking at others, "too big of a risk before. Ain't now. I'm gonna take a group out. Best not waste anymore time." "I'm in," Michonne said as she walked up beside me. "You haven't been exposed to this," Hershel said, "Daryl has. You get in a car with him then you risk catching this." "He's already given me fleas," she said before grinning at me while I rolled my eyes. "I can lead the way," Hershel said standing to his feet, "I know where everything's kept." "When we're out there," I said looking at him, "it's _always_ the same. Sooner or later we run." "I can draw you a map then," Hershel said nodding in understanding.

**GLENN'S POV**

"Make a list of what we need too," Daryl said nodding. "There are other precautions I think we should take while Daryl and the others are out there," Hershel said looking around. "Like what," Carol asked. "Wouldn't it make sense for us to seperate the most vulnerable," Hershel asked, "we could use the administration building. Seperate office, seperate room." " _Who_ is the most vulnerable," I asked looking at him. "The very young," he said. "What about the old," I asked looking at him. He thought about it for a second before looking back to me and nodding. "I'll start rounding people up to be placed away from any chances to be infected," Carol said as she walked out of the library.

As Daryl and Michonne walked out of the room, I looked over to Hershel. "He needs to know," I said before glancing back to the way Daryl had went. "You going to tell him then," Hershel asked. "I can't," I said, "he'd beat my ass personally if he knew I kept this from him. He knows how close me and Kathryn are." "I'll talk to him before he leaves," Hershel said nodding, "but just know that he'll want to see her before he leaves if he finds out she's sick." "Just _remind_ him he volunteered to go out there to get those meds for our people," I said looking to Hershel, "and I think once he knows she's sick, he'll do everything he can to help her. No matter what's got them putting space between themselves, he'd do whatever he could for her. He's proved that already."

**DARYL'S POV**

I was standing by the car that once belonged to Zack. It was probably our fastest car here, and with this sickness spreading, this is what we needed. As I was checking the oil and everything else for the car, I was talking to Michonne and trying to figure out who else we could take with us to go on this run. I was wanting to take Kat, but I still hadn't seen her yet and even if I didn't _really_ want her to come, she still would anyway. She's that hard headed, but I guess that's what caused me to let her pass my walls I had always kept up around me. "So just me and you like in the old days," Michonne asked as she leaned against the front of the car.

"And Bob," I said looking up at her before looking back down to the car in front of me, "feels like we could use another person. Wish I knew where the hell Kat was. She'd be jumping at the chance to go on this run to help the prison out." "Why don't we see about bringing Tyresse," she asked looking at me, "with his sister sick, he'd do whatever he could." "Yeah but he's still pretty pissed about someone murdering two of our own who'd been sick," I said before I heard footsteps coming from behind me. Glancing back, I spotted Hershel walking out and over to me. "I'll go get that oil and find Tyresse," Michonne said before walking off.

Nodding, I watched as she walked off before I turned my attention back to Hershel as he walked closer. "Ya see Kat around," I asked before turning away to look at the car. "Daryl I need to talk to you," he said. "'Bout what," I asked not turning around. "About Kathryn," he said, my body freezing. Turning around, I leaned against the car as I cleaned my hands of the grease and oil from the inside of the car. "You have my attention," I said nodding for him to continue. "She's sick," he said, "she went into A this morning before that meeting. Me, Glenn, and Rick are the only ones who knew. Before you get pissed off with anyone and decide not to go out there, remember you're the one who offered to go. _Everyone's_ counting on you to make it back with that medicine."

I stayed silent as I thought through what he'd just told me. "Why didn't y'all tell me," I asked looking down at the ground. " _She_ didn't want us to tell you," he said, "she knew you'd put yourself at risk to getting sick as well. As much as you think she's a hard head, she cares about what happens to everyone around her." He was right about that. Nodding, I walk past him, headed for A. "Where you going," Hershel asked from behind me. "To see Kat before I leave," I said, not glancing back and not stopping to wait and see if he had anything else to say. We didn't have much time and I wanted to make sure that she was safe before I left with the others to get that medicine.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I was in the cell in A next to Mom's after going in myself. I felt bad that I didn't want Daryl knowing, but I know him. Doctor S came and got me and told me that I was wanted at the execution viewing room. Confused, I nodded, figuring it was Dad wanting to talk to me. I knew I couldn't keep Hershel and Glenn from telling my Dad, I just didn't want them telling Daryl. Walking into the room and up to the glass, I didn't see Dad there, I saw _Daryl_. "What are you doing here," I asked looking at him with a frown. "Wanted to make sure you're alright," he said. I didn't sense any anger from him, I think he was more or less just _worried_. "Is something up," I asked, I knew there had to be another reason for him showing up.

"Going on a run," he said, "with a few others. Going to get some meds from a vet college." "Not the one that we saw on the map," I said concerned. He didn't answer, just looked at me before looking away and nodding. "Daryl that's 50 miles away," I said walking up closer to the glass and placing my hands on it. "I know," he said, "but we gotta try. It's the only chance we have of everyone surviving that's sick." When he looked at me, I looked down and nodded. He was right, if we had any chance of beating this it was with the help of any meds we could get. I looked back up at him, his blue eyes studying me. "You okay," I asked watching him.

"Gotta be," he said nodding before lifting his hand and placing it pretty much on mine if it wasn't for the glass between us, "you gonna be alright?" "Don't worry Tarzan," I said giving him a mischievous smirk, "Jane strong." I watched him shake his head, causing me to laugh at his reaction. As I laughed, it began to irritate my throat, causing me to start coughing. Getting a worried look on his face, Daryl moved closer to me as I slowly stopped coughing. "You should go rest," he said watching me. Deciding not to argue with him, I nodded. "Come back to me," I said looking up at him, "alright Daryl?" I watched him nod before I turned away and walked back into the main part for A.


	70. Helping Out

**KATHRYN'S POV**

It's been hours since I've joined Mom in A. More and more people from D keep coming in as the flu like sickness spreads through all those who had originally survived in D just yesterday. Hershel joined us about an hour ago, bringing this _tea_ his wife used to make to help with the symptoms. Since he's been in here, because I'm not as effected at the moment, I've been helping out with getting the tea to everyone to insure that we're all given a fighting chance. But Mom's gotten worse since she came in here, and seems to be getting worse by the hour. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried that she wouldn't pull through this.

"Kathryn," Mom called out from her cell as I went to walk past. "Yeah Momma," I asked as I walked to her door and peered in at her. "Come here a second," she said as she sat up on the bed. "Mom I have to help Hershel," I said looking back over my shoulder towards where he was at. "I know sweetie," she said looking at me with a tired and weak smile, "but come here for a moment." "What do you need Momma," I asked with a smile as I knelt down in front of her. "I want you to take this," she said pulling a necklace from around her neck. "But this was Grandma's," I said as she placed it in my palms.

"She gave it to me and now I'm giving it to you," Mom said nodding. "But Mom," I said shaking my head. "No _buts_ ," she said, "there's no way of knowing for sure that I'll make it out of this and I've been meaning to give you this locket for a while now anyway. So take it." Sighing, I looked down to the necklace she handed me. She always wore it, and when I was good she'd let _me_ wear it for a day. "Thank you Mom," I said as I placed it around my neck before hugging her, "but you'll make it out of this." She just smiled at me before pushing me out of the cell, her way of telling me to get back to helping Hershel.

**GLENN'S POV**

"Herhsel said to drink this," Kathryn said as she walked up the steps to the landing I was sitting on. "You're working too hard," I said laughing as she sat next to me. "Gotta keep busy," she said smiling at me, "if it wasn't for me being sick, I'd be out there with Daryl and the others trying to get the meds. So I'm doing what I can from in here, and Hershel needs help." "Don't over do it," I said drinking some of the tea, "Daryl will have all our asses." "I don't believe that," she said shaking her head, a small frown on her face. "Why," I asked handing her the cup back, "he looks out for you, no matter what. And he'd be mad as hell if something happened to you." "Yeah well he can't control what happens to me when Mothernature says otherwise."

"Yeah this suck," I said leaning back against the railing, "after everything, we just get taken out by a _glorified_ cold." "We're stronger than that," she said smiling at me, "a _glorified_ cold won't take us out, we won't let it, not without a fight. Get some rest, I need to get back to helping Hershel." She went to stand up when I grabbed her wrist, stopping her. "Don't over do it Kathryn," I said looking up at her. "Okay Glenn," she said before smiling and nodding. I let go of her wrist, watching as she stood to her full height and walked off down the stairs and back to Hershel to help him out. She always did put others before her, no matter what.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"Kathryn you need _rest_ ," Hershel said looking at me. "I'm _fine_ ," I said as I whiped off a bit of sweat from my forehead before instantly coughing. I covered my mouth to keep from coughing onto him but when I pulled my hand away, there was blood on it. "No you're not," he said, "you're working yourself too hard and you're sick. You _need_ to rest before you put yourself in the ground faster than you should. What would your father think if he knew? What about Carl, or _Daryl_?" "Why does everyone keep holding him over my head," I asked shaking my head.

"Because everyone knows how close you two are," Hershel said placing his hand on my shoulder, "or at least _were_. I'm sure whatever problem you both had before this, won't matter after everything settles." "It's _my_ fault that Daryl and I aren't that close right now," I said, "I kept a pretty big secret from him. And I wouldn't be surpised if he never forgave me for it." "You're not thinking properly Kathryn," he said stepping towards me but I stepped back, "he cares more for you than you could _ever_ know. Don't doubt him on that one." "I'm done talking about this Hershel," I said and turned around, but then, everything went _black_.


	71. The Prison is Lost

**DARYL'S POV**

Took longer than I would've liked, but we made it back to the prison with the meds Hershel asked for. A day and a half after we'd originally left, we made it back that night to find Rick and Carl with a shit pill of walkers laying in the dog-run where they'd broken the fence down. My mind automatically went to Kat and the other's who were sick. What if walkers got past Rick and Carl? What if the others didn't make it through the two nights we'd lost to several road blocks? As soon as the van we were in pulled to a stop, both Tyreese and I hopped out and looked at Rick.

"How's Sasha," he asked instantly. "I don't know," he said shaking his head, "I'm sorry." "Go," I said looking to him before he ran passed me towards A block. "You get everything we need," Rick asked looking at me. "Man I sure hope so," I said watched as Bob slowly climbed out of the van. He was still on my shit list after the stunt he pulled back at the school. "Everything okay," Rick asked noticing my tension. "Yeah," I said before looking off towards A, "you don't know how Kat is?" "No," he said shaking his head. Nodding, I turned and made my way towards A block too.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I could feel something poking into my arm right at the inside of my elbow. I tried to open my eyes, but there was some force keeping me from doing it. "Kathryn," I heard a small voice whisper as I felt something holding my hand. Groaning, I finally managed to get my eyes to open slowly as I turned my head towards the sound of the voice. "Dad she's awake," I heard the voice shout as they slowly pulled away from me. When my eyes focused, I realized it was Carl who had been talking to me before Dad appeared in my vision standing above his head. "Take it easy sweetheart you've been out for a while," he said kneeling down next to Carl and taking his place in holding my hand.

"What happened," I asked as I lifted my free hand up to rub my forehead some. "You passed out," Dad said squeezing my hand, "Hershel said you were working yourself too hard." "Where's Mom," I asked and when I didn't get an answer right away, I looked over to see Dad and Carl sharing a look. "Carl go check on Judy," Dad said to my brother. He nodded before turning and running out of the cell I was laid in before running out of the block all together. When Carl was gone, Dad turned back to look at me before looking down at my hand in his. " _Dad_ ," I said as I sat up slightly, "where's _Mom_." "She died last night before Daryl and the others got back with the meds," he said as he slowly looked up at me, "I'm sorry sweetie."

I looked at him, feeling the tears fall down my face, as I let what he said sink in. I didn't say anything, I just laid back down on the cot I was on and let the tears fall. I didn't even looking to Dad when I felt him release my hand and walk away. I wanted to be alone anyway after finding out my mom didn't make in through the night. My free hand reached up to the locket she'd given to me just before I ended up passing out. It was all I had left of her now, that and her memory. Deciding I needed some air, I ripped the IV out of my arm before reaching for my gun that I had under my pillow and slowly making my way outside of the cell block and then sneaking my way out of the prison yard and into the woods.

I walked slowly around the trees, just out of sight to the prison but I could still see it. I wasn't letting it out of my sight, just incase I needed to get there fast. I kept my gun in my hands, breathing in the fresh air I'd been away from for the past couple of days. The slightly cooler air felt better on my sweaty forehead than the stuffy prison cell block did. I already felt better, and I couldn't tell you if it was the meds or just being _outside_. I used this time to think, just think about whatever came to mind. And right now, the top two things on my mind were Daryl and my mother.

With Daryl, I wondered if everything would be okay between us again. I didn't like this space between us, after so long of depending on him for comfort and safety, it felt so weird for him not to be with me now. Thinking about Mom, I tried to push back the tears as I remembered her telling me that she didn't think she'd survive this. I didn't want her to be right, I didn't want to lose her to a _glorified_ cold as Glenn had put it before I went to talk to Hershel. But Mom had been right, she _always_ seemed to be right, and now she's _gone_.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of gun fire. Fearing the worst, I ran to the edge of the woods. Well I didn't exactly _run_ , but I did move as fast as I could to get back to the prison in case they needed me. When I reached the edge of the tree line, my breath hitched in my throat at the sight before me. I stood there frozen as I watched the tank at the gate slowly move forwards before running the fence down. I looked up towards the prison, watching as our people fought back. I lifted my hand up, covering my mouth to keep from crying out. They were trying to take our home from us, it was like we couldn't catch a break.

I watched as the fighting went on. Walkers slowly walking out of the woods, drawn by the sound of the shots from both sides and the rockets set off from the tank. Looking around the prison, I noticed the bus we'd set up as an emergancy vehicle to take should something happen begin to pull out and leave. I could also just barely make out other members from the group running off on foot, trying to get away from the gun fire. Realizing that the prison was lost, I turned and began to make my way away from the battle zone. All I could do was hope and pray that I'd find the others. Especially Dad, Carl, Judy, and Daryl. If I had to find anyone, they were who I wanted to find most.


	72. Claimed

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I'd say it's been a couple days now since we lost the prison. I've definitely gotten my strength back since getting better and I've loaded up on the supplies I'd need from a nearby town I came across. I stocked up on whatever was availible in the camping sections of most of the stores I found, that being a backpack and other supplies usually taken along on a camping trip. When I was sure I had all the supplise I could get from this town, I began making my way towards the next, hoping I'd run into someone from my old group, _anyone_. No one could make it on their own in this world anymore, and I didn't want to become a victim to it.

I decided to follow the railroad tracks that led us to the prison in the first place, hoping maybe that'd take me somewhere where everyone else would go. As I walked down the tracks, I couldn't help but remember when Daryl and I came across them the first time, following them until we found the prison and what we thought would give us a chance at a _normal_ life again. I felt a tear slide down my check as I remembered what we did just _before_ finding these tracks and the prison, and then remembering everything we'd done since then, up until after that last run I got to go onto before getting sick. I thought for sure that night when I saw the look on his face that he hated me for keeping my virginity a secret, and now I'll never know.

Shaking the thoughts from my head and brushing away the traitor tear, I began walking along the tracks. As I walk, about an hour after I started, I came across this sign claiming to have sanctuary for _all_. I didn't know if I believed it after loosing my own home so soon, but I knew that if anyone else in the group found these signs, then this is where they'd go first to look for other familiar faces. With a destination set, I studied the map once more before continuing on my path, following the tracks and hoping for the best. Although, the thought of no one being there from my group did enter my mind, I refused to allow it to keep me for trying. I wanted my family back.

As I traveled, I found myself sleeping in any abandoned building along the tracks that seemed safe enough. There was no telling how much time had passed by since the prison's fall, and I got to the point now where I just try not to think about it. I try not to think about everyone that we might've lost. I found this garage next to the tracks, a couple of old cars without gas in them littered the inside and parking lot. _Yes_ , I checked to see if there was gas in them but it was just my luck that they were all on empty. I was just about to make my way inside to make sure it was clear when I heard talking. Thinking it'd be smart to hide since I'm alone, I duck down behind the corner and hope they keep on walking.

**DARYL'S POV**

I stood there in the woods, staring at this _dumbass_ who thought the rabbit I'd been tracking for _hours_ this morning was his. Deciding I wanted nothing more to do with him, I began to walk past him with the rabbit still in hand. "You know," he said as I walked by, "I'll bet this _bitch_ got you all messed up." I stopped in my tracks. My thoughts instantly went to Kat and I didn't like what he was saying already. "Am I right," he asked, "got you walking around here like a dead man who just lost himself a piece of tail." I could feel myself fuming the minute he said that. Kat was more than _a piece of tail_ to me, she always would be. "Must've been a good'un," he called to me, "tell me something. Was it one of the little'uns?"

I was having enough of this. I'd spent my time trying not to remember that the last time I'd seen _her_ was when she'd been nearly dead from a sickness back at the prison. My hand instinctively went to my knife on my waist as he continued to run his mouth. "Y'know," he said, "they don't last too long out here." Pulling my knife, I went to strike when that Joe fella grabbed my wrist and stopped me. Should've let me kill the jackass, would've saved me the trouble of dealing with his ass later on. I just turned and walked off, not wanting anything more to do with him.

Several hours later and we were following a set of tracks. As it started getting later, we came across this building. I watched as the men ahead of me walked on towards the building Joe called our _abode for the evening_. Just as I'm about to get closer, I heard the guys suddenly cat calling like they've seen some pretty girl. "I said back the fuck off," a familiar female voice shouts as I get closer. "Red heads really _are_ fiesty," one of the men say looking to his buddy as I get closer. The red head comment and the familiar voice are causing hope to soar through out me as I try to believe that it's _my_ red head.

Rounding the corner to see most of the men from the group cornering someone against the wall to the building, I walk closer before noticing the red hair. "C'mon honey," one of the guys said, "let me show you a good time tonight." " _Fuck you_ ," the familiar voice spat back, causing the men to laugh. Walking further, they parted slight before moving back together. That gave me a long enough peak to realize just _who_ it was they were talking about. Doing the first thing I could think of doing, I dropped my things and stepped forwards. " _Claimed_ ," I called out, causing the men to silence instantly and move, giving me full view of a pissed off Kat.


	73. The Claimers

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I watched as the men surrounding me parted, allowing the one who'd spoken to move forward. As I watched the familiar redneck move closer, I couldn't fight the smile and tears that were making their way onto my face. Not saying a word, I dropped my things and ran towards Daryl, not stopping until my legs were around his waist and my arms around his neck as I buried my face into his shoulder. "Nice piece of ass you got there Daryl," one of the men that had been surrounding me called out as I took in Daryl's familiar scent, "why don't you share with the rest of us?" "Fuck off," I grit out as I looked over my shoulder at the men and felt nothing but disgust as I looked at each one of them before turning back to Daryl's arms.

"I thought you were dead," I heard him whisper into my ear as he held me closer. "I thought _you_ were," I whispered back before pulling away and looking up into his blue eyes. "How did you get out," he asked watching me, "I thought you were still in A block." "I snuck out into the woods before the attack," I said pulling away completely, "the stuffy air had been getting to me and I'd just found out from Dad that I lost Mom over night. Dad. Did you hear anything about him or Carl?" "No," he said shaking his head, "I got out with Beth, but you're the first one from the prison I've seen since." "Where is Beth," I asked looking around when I realized she wasn't with us.

**DARYL'S POV**

"I don't know," I said shaking my head, "she was taken." " _Taken_ ," Kat asked, "by who?" "Someone in a car with a white cross painted on the back," I said, "I followed it as long as I could. Then these guys came across me shortly after." "Why would you travel with them Daryl," she asked looking around at the group as they checked the area around us for a threat, "they don't seem like the _friendly type_." "They ain't," I said agreeing with her. "C'mon you two," Joe said looking at us, "we're headed in." Looking up at him, I looked back to Kat before allowing her to walk ahead of me. "Hey Daryl," Kat whispered back to me as we made our way in, "why'd you say _claimed_ when you saw me?"

"It's these guys way of saying something is _theirs_ ," I said, "some sort of rule with them. I _claimed_ you because I could see the looks on their faces when I saw you. It was my way of keeping you safe." "I'm yours anyway Daryl," she said looking back at me with a smile before walking on inside as everyone looked around for a threat. Following her, I walked in after her and watched as men started calling out claimed and taking the vehicles inside. The car closest to us only had one of the men's bags on it, and I hadn't heard him claim it yet. I watched as he looked back at us and went to open his mouth but Kat beat him to it. "Claimed motherfucker," she said tossing her back pack she had inside the car.

**KATHYRN'S POV**

I watched as the dude glared at me, clearly not liking that I'd just beat him to claiming the car. Everyone else had claimed all the others, which meant he had to sleep on the hard ass concret floor. " _What_ ," I asked putting my hands on my hips as he continued to glare at me, "you got a problem? Isn't it the rule in your group that you _claim_ something? Like the place where you sleep?" I heard movement behind me and looked back to see Daryl tossing his own bag into the car while trying to fight a smirk that was attempting to make it's way onto his face. I turned back to find the guy still standing there, and still glaring at me. "Do you _need_ something," I asked placing my hands on my hips, "you do understand your group's rule right? I've _claimed_ this car, so you can go the fuck somewhere else."

"You heard her," Daryl said, his voice coming up behind me as I felt him lightly place his hand on the small of my back as if he was trying to keep it from being noticed by everyone else. I watched the guy turn his glare to Daryl before turning and walking off to find a place to sleep for the night. I turned back to face Daryl, a small smirk playing on my lips. "Thank you Tarzan but I think I couldn've managed," I said and watched as he seemed to smile at the old nickname I gave him back around the start of all this. "Never thought I'd be _happy_ to hear that nickname again," he said. "Yeah you _hated_ it when I first called you that," I said nodding before walking to the back door to the car and climbing in.

I sat with my back against the other door, making sure it was locked first, and watched as Daryl climbed in after me and sat there. "How did you make it out of the prison," I asked, "when I saw people leaving on foot, I couldn't make out who was who." "I told you I got out with Beth," he said looking down, "it was after everyone else had done left. The whole time I was with her, she kept reminding me of you and how stubborn you were. She kept saying that others might've made it, but I didn't want to believe it." "Hey," I said reaching over and placing my hand on the base of his chin and making him look at me, " _I_ made it. And I know others did too. Those from our group are _strong_ Daryl. You've found me, so just have a little hope that we'll find everyone else too."

I watched as he regarded me over what I said before his blue eyes darted down towards my lips. Smiling, I leaned foward and placed my mouth onto his in a kiss I'd so badly missed. I felt him wrap his arms around my waist before moving me so that I was straddling his hips. Our lips never once seperated as I moved, and once I was situated I had my hands in his now longer hair as he deepened the kiss by sticking his tongue out and prying my lips apart. I pulled out of the kiss and looked at him, watching as he eyes seemed to darken at a memory and he seemed to slowly start to shut me back out again. "Daryl," I said placing my hands on his face, " _don't_ shut me out."

"I _hurt_ you last time," he said as he glared up at me. "Yeah you did," I said not denying that I had been in a little pain after that first time, " _but_ , I still enjoyed it. What hurt more was when you kept your distance from me. So I went and stayed in my mother's cell until you wanted to see me again. I had been a virgin that day, so _yes_ it was going to hurt, but it was my stupidity to keep that from you as long as I had with everything we'd been doing. So don't shut me out again. You won't hurt me like last time." "They'll be able to see us," he said as his eyes darted to the windshield behind me and I knew _exactly_ who he was talking about. "Let them watch then," I said and leaned forward and placed my lips onto his.


	74. Fun in the Backseat

**DARYL'S POV**

I wrapped my arms tighter around Kathryn's waist as her lips reconnected with mine. Memories of the last time we were together like this were still in the back of my mind, but I worked hard to keep from letting the memories take over completely. She was right, it was bound to hurt for her first time and had I known, I would've been a little easier. Hell I would've chose a different setting for it. I pulled out of the kiss with her, looking up at her as her blue eyes stared down at me in curiousity. "What is it," she asked as a small frown settled onto her lips. "Nothing," I whispered before pulling her back in for a deeper kiss.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I moaned into the kiss as his hands moved up and down my sides before finally gripping the hem of my top and pulling it over my head. My head fell back as he brought his lips to my neck once my top was on the seat beside of us, his mouth going down till he began kissing the tops of my breasts. As he continued, I began to grind my hips agains his, instantly feeling something poke the inside of my thigh. "Someone's happy," I moaned before laughing slightly. Daryl pulled his mouth away from my skin and looked up at me, his eyes darker than they had been when we started this. He stared up at me a moment longer before grabbing the back of my neck and roughly pulling his lips to mine.

Caught completely off guard I didn't have time to react before he'd thrown me down onto the back seat and hovered over me, instantly grinding his hips into mine. I pull my lips from his as I attempt to catch my breath while he continues his assault on my body. I gasp out as he bites down on my neck while his hands quickly make short work of ridding me of my shorts and was already delving his hands into my underwear. My back arched the second his calloused finger touched the bundle of nerves. My hand grabbed his arm, causing him to stop and look at me like a deer caught in headlights. "Call me _horny_ all you want," I said keeping my hand on his arm, "but I don't want the foreplay tonight."

He watched me for a second before nodding, his hand coming out of my underwear and moving to his pants where he began to quickly unfasten them and pulled them down along with the boxers he wore underneath. I eyed him as he tossed them to the floor of the car before his hands went back to my hips and quickly pulled down my own panties. I sat up slightly and pulled off my bra just before he spread my legs and began to position himself at my awaiting entrance. As he began to push forward, I wrapped my arms around his neck and shoulders, pulling him down to me so that I could bring his lips to mine again.

I felt myself stretch around him as he entered me, having only had sex once, I was still fairly tight like I was a virgin. He groaned out as he finally filled me up to the hilt. " _Fuck_ ," he groaned as he pulled his mouth away from mine and just sat there for a moment. "Why'd you stop," I asked as I tried to remember to breathe. "I move right now this won't last _long_ ," he said as he looked down at me. "Poor Tarzan," I smirked up at him before wiggling my hips slightly, "were you going blue balled without me around?" " _Kat_ ," he grit out, glaring down at me as I continued to wiggle my hips.

"What's wrong Dixon," I asked smirking, "can't handle it?" "Who are you and what'd you do with the girl I met back in Atlanta," he asked shaking his head. "Oh I'm still the same girl," I said smirking, "now are you going to fuck me or not?" I watched his eyes darken again before he brought his lips down to mine as he pulled his hips back and slammed them right back into mine. He didn't give me a second to adjust any more before he pulled right back out again, continuing the action as he pistoned in and out of me.

I tried remembering to breathe as he pounded away into me, sending me closer and closer to that delisious edge he knew just how to tip me over. I raked my nails down his back, earning a groan in pleasure from him as he sped up his pace. "Daryl," I moaned out, "I'm so close." The knot of pleasure was tightening faster than I could finish my sentence, and I was scared I wouldn't have been able to finish it before it sent me over the edge and into the euphoric bliss I hadn't experienced since the showers.

I wrapped my arms around his neck as he picked up his pace, trying to get me over the edge faster. I could tell from the sloppiness that he was close too, and I couldn't wait to feel that familiar sensation I got when he released. Wrapping my arms around him tightly like he was a life preserver out in the middle of the ocean, I placed my lips onto his as the knot in my lower stomach snapped and released it's pleasure tidel wave throughout my body. As my body quaked around him, I felt him instantly still before the warm sensation of his release could be felt as he coated the my inner walls with his release. I faught hard to keep from screaming out as I waited for my orgasm to finally end.

When we were both finsihed with our releases, and I was laying on the seat attempting to catch my breath, Daryl slowly pulled out of me before reaching over and pulling his boxers and pants back on. I watched curiously as he helped me into my panties before lifting up his sleeveless flannel and placing it onto me. I smiled as he sat me up for a moment, stretched out onto the seat where I'd been previously, and finally pulled me down to lay on top of him. "Get some sleep Kat," he whispered before placing a light peck on my forehead. And I did just that, feeling safe and comfortable for the first time since we'd lost the prison.


	75. Set Destination

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I woke up in the backseat of a car to the familiar scent of cigarettes, sweat, and woods. Without even opening my eyes I knew who was with me the second I felt their arm tighten around me. Opening my eyes finally, I looked around to see I was laying on his chest, his left arm wrapped protectively around my waist. Lifting up slightly, I looked down at the still sleeping redneck below me. "Daryl," I whispered as I lifted one of my hands up to brush the side of his cheek, "wake up sleepy head." "How'd you sleep," his groggy and sleep filled voice reached my ears a few minutes later.

"Better than I had in a few days," I said smiling down at him before sitting up and allowing him to sit up as well. I heard movement outside the car we were in and looked to see the other men in the group that had found Daryl were up and moving around as they began to wake up. When I looked back to Daryl, his eyes were turning back to me, obviously having been looking towards the sound of movement too. "We're not sticking with them are we," I asked looking at him, "those guys give me the creeps as is." "We're just going to bide our time for now," he said, lifting his hand up before moving a strand of red hair out of my face.

Daryl had his crossbow over his shoulder as we walked out of the garage, me being sure to stay as close to him as possible. I had my red hair pulled back into a ponytail, wearing his flannel still that I went to sleep in and wearing a pair of jeans underneath. I looked around Daryl to the man named Joe as he walked on Daryl's other side as the other memebers of this group were well ahead of us. We just continued following the tracks, and when I asked Daryl, he said he didn't know why we were and that he was just following Joe and them. They seemed to have a set plan in mind, so it would've seemed off for either of us to question them when they seemed to know what they were doing.

Daryl, Joe and I moved off the tracks, walking through the tall grass of a field as everyone else seemed to stick to the tracks. When I glanced over to Daryl, he was looking at the flask that Joe was offering him. "White Lightning," Joe said when it seemed that Daryl wanted an explanation as to what was in it, "easiest thing to make with the least amount of supplies. I'd start slow if I was you. Your stomach's probably emptier than you think." I watched, holding back a laugh as Daryl tipped it back as Joe talked. When he was done, he looked to me as I held out my hand, wanting a taste myself. "Oh no," Daryl said shaking his head, "I remember the _last_ time you had alcohol."

**DARYL'S POV**

"Asshole," I heard Kat mutter as I handed Joe back his flask, "I do recall _you_ egging me on to keep drinking." "I heard that," I said causing Joe to laugh. "I take it you two know each other from before yesterday," he said causing me to look over at him. I glanced back to Kat before she decided to speak up. "We were in a group together since about the beginning of this," she said as she looked around while speaking. "I see," he said nodding before looking ahead of us at where the others were walking. I looked ahead of us to see one of them men standing there, staring at some sort of sign next to the tracks.

"Getting closer," he called back, looking to Joe before moving on with the others. Kat and I shared a look before moving up to the tracks and stopping to stare at the sign the guy had been looking at before. "Do you think," Kat asked in a whisper, looking to me before looking right back at the sign. I knew _exactly_ what she was asking. "You seen this before," I asked as I glanced to Joe as he walked around Kat and me. " _Oh yeah_ ," he said before moving on, "I'll tell you what it is. It's a _lie_. There ain't no sanctuary for all." "So is that were we're headed then," I asked falling in line beside him, Kat on my other side like she's been doing since I found her.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I watched as Daryl and Joe talked, keeping an eye on the men around me, especially that Len guy. He kept glancing back at me and that first meeting I had with him wasn't exactly an _award_ _winning_ first impression. But, as night began to set in, Daryl and I began to distance ourselves from the group. "If Dad saw those signs," I said walking next to him, "or if _anyone_ from the prison saw them, I bet that'd be where they would go." "We'll break away from these guys tonight," he said as he kept his attention on the men ahead of us as they slowly put distance between us and them, "head towards that _Terminus_ at first light."

I looked up at him before nodding my head once. As we continued to walk, and it got darker and those men got further away, I felt Daryl grab my hand slightly. "Don't worry Kat," he whispered as I looked up at him, "I'm sure your ol' man survived the fall of the prison." "Daryl," I said coming to a stop and pulling him to stop as well, " _who_ was it that attacked the prison? Who took our home from us?" "It was the Governor," he said after a few hesitant seconds, "he wanted to _talk_ with Rick but that didn't work out too well." I nodded once before the sounds of loud talking ahead of us caught my attention. Daryl and I shared a look before deciding to make our way towards the noise and see what was going on.


	76. Finding Others

**DARYL'S POV**

"Stay back a few steps when we get closer to them," I said glancing to Kat as I pulled my crossbow from off my shoulders and held it in one hand, "don't know what's going to happen up here. And I don't wanna see you get hurt after finally getting you back." I watched as she looked up to me and silently nodded. There were times when she wasn't a stubborn red head, and I was glad that this was one of those times. Looking back ahead of us, I made my way closer as the talking got louder. When the group came into sight, I had to hold my arm out to keep Kat from running towards them the second I heard her gasp.

I sped up my walking to get into everyone's sight when I heard Joe counting down with a gun to Rick's head. " _Joe_ ," I shout out as I effectively cause him to stop counting, "hold up." I took a few steps closer, Kat staying behind me when I glanced at her. Looking back at the scene before me, I watched Rick's face when he saw his daughter walking behind me. I tried to talk Joe out of attacking my people, my _friends_ from before. I glanced back to see three of the others, Len included, moving around behind Kat and me and it didn't go unnoticed by her. "You want blood," I said looking back to Joe as I sat my crossbow down on the ground, "I get that. Take it from me, and let them go."

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I watched silently as Daryl tried to talk Joe out of this, but things quickly went to hell when two men jumped Daryl, Michonne started fighting with one, Dad was fighting with Joe, one man had Carl, and then Len decided he was going to go straight for me. Before I knew it, I was on the ground with Len over me as he straddled my waist and attempted to rid me of my jeans. I knew I was screaming, I could feel my throat going raw from it but I couldn't hear _anything_ as I tried to fight Len off of me. My complete focus was on the man on top of me, and time seemed to go both in slow motion and in fast forward. One minute, I knew Len was on top of me, and the next I felt him lifted off of me.

Rolling away from where I had been, my jeans unbottoned and unzipped, I jumped to my feet and found myself leaning against the truck that had been near my Dad and Michonne before the fighting started. I was breathing heavily as I fought off the memories of back at the farm when Shane tried to rape me in the barn. "Kat calm down," I faintly heard Daryl's voice before I felt him wrap his arms tightly around me as he held me, "he ain't here! Shane won't ever be able to hurt you again!" Even not being in my head, Daryl knew _exactly_ what was bothering me with what had just happened.

**DARYL'S POV**

By the time the sun had rose over us, Kat was in the truck with her brother and Michonne. She was still shooken up but she was doing much better at the moment. Rick was sitting up at the front driver side tire when I walked back up to him with a bottle of water from a creak I'd found in the woods. Pulling out my rag, I poured a little bit of water onto the rag and went to hand it to him when he tried to stop me. "We should save that water," he said looking up at me. He looked like he was tired, and he probably was after what had just happened. "You can't see yourself Rick," I said still holding it out for him, "Kat and Carl can."

He took the rag from me and held it in his hands for a moment before slowly beginning to clean his face of the blood that had belonged to Joe. "How long," Rick asked suddenly, causing me to look over at him. I think he saw the confusion on my face before he decided to clearify. "You and Kathryn," he said looking away and continuing to clean his face, "how long." "Since the farm fell," I said looking away. I knew Kat had to be listening to us from inside the truck. "How'd you end up with those men," he asked after a few minutes, "how'd _Kathryn_ end up with them?"

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I sat between Michonne and Carl in the truck, Carl's head on my lap with my head on Michonne's shoulder. I could feel Michonne shift slightly at the mention of me and Daryl, but I kept my head turned so that she couldn't see that my eyes were open as I stared where I could heard Dad's and Daryl's voices coming from. Daryl told Dad about me and him, and soon the conversation changed to how the two of us ended up with Joe and the Claimers. I was playing with Carl's hair, so I knew that she could tell I was awake, just wasn't saying anything about what was being discussed outside the car. When the car door opened beside us, Carl and I sat up to look and see Dad standing there. "We're moving on to Terminus," he said before turning and walking off.


	77. Headed to Terminus

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I walked behind Dad as we followed the tracks to Terminus. I was walking between Carl and Daryl, while Dad and Michonne were walking up front. I was too scared right now to face him after he found out that me and Daryl were obviously doing things he didn't know about, for _longer_ than he probably figured too. "Hey," Daryl said bumping my shoulder with his arm to get my attention. Looking up at him, I know he could see the worry clear on my face. "If it helps he didn't show any signs of anger when he asked and I told him," he said trying to give me a comforting smile. "Helps _some_ ," I said before looking ahead at Dad and Michonne, "doesn't help that I kept this all _completely_ from him."

"It'll be okay," Daryl said before nudging my shoulder again. I gave him a weak smile before turning my attention to my little brother beside me. "Hey bud I missed you," I said with a grin as I wrapped my arm around his shoulders. He glared playfully up at me before pushing me away. " _Punk_ ," I said before pushing him back, laughing when he stumbles a few steps. "Okay you two," Daryl said before moving to walk between us. Even though I was scared to face my dad with what he just found out about us, I still couldn't surpress the happiness I had when I was with Daryl, so I smiled up at him. Grinning, I pushed him hard enough for him to move then took off running after Dad and Michonne, laughing when I looked back to see the look Daryl was giving me.

**RICK'S** **POV**

I looked back when I heard laughter, smiling when I realized it was Kathryn laughing. Daryl was giving her a dumbfounded look while she was trying to keep from falling to the ground. "What's so funny back there," I asked causing her to stop and look at me, the smile not leaving her face. "Nothing Daddy," she said grinning before continuing to walk in the direction we were headed. I waited until she got closer before I continued walking as well, wrapping my arm around her shoulders as we walked once she was beside me. She leaned her head against my shoulder as Daryl and Carl walked up beside us. I glanced over at Daryl to see him looking down at my daughter before looking ahead.

When I looked forwards, I spotted a sign that'd fallen to the ground and was slightly covered in dirt and fallen leaves. Moving away from Kathryn, I walked ahead to the sign before stopping and brushing the debris off with my foot. "We're getting close," Daryl said as he and Michonne stopped beside me, "be there before sundown." "Now we head through the woods," I said motioning to the trees beside us, "we don't know _who_ they are." Daryl and I both looked to Kathryn and Carl after I said there, memories of last night reaching my mind as I thought about what had almost happened to _both_ of my kids.

**DARYL'S POV**

"Alright," I said before nodding for everyone to follow behind me. Kat ran up to me, walking on my right as we slowly made our way throught the brush in search of Terminus. As we walked, I glanced over at Kat beside me, the happiness that had been on her face and in her eyes gone and replaced by the seriousness of the situation we were now in. "You alright," I asked looking over at her. "Yeah," she said nodding, "just hoping this place doesn't come back to bite us in the ass." "Either way," Rick said walking up to her other side as we'd stopped to talk, "we can take care of ourselves." "I know," she said giving him a weak smile as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Let's keep moving," Rick said, causing me and her to both nod before moving on, back into the lead as we made our way towards Terminus. Within the hour, we reached the fence that surrounded the train yard turned _sanctuary_ as they were calling it. We stopped at the fence, staring at the place as we waited for Rick to come up with some sort of _plan_ on what to do. "We'll all spread out," he said after a few minutes, "watch for a while to see what we see. We _all_ stay close." We all nodded before splitting into groups. It was me and Kat, Michonne and Carl, and Rick by himself. We set out, watching the area before grouping back up close to sundown with the verdict.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

When we grouped back up, Dad had dug a small hole and was placing the bag of guns inside of it. "Just in case," he said looking up at Daryl and me when we stopped a few steps from him, "and Kathryn I don't want you going in there." " _What_ ," I all but screeched, " _why_!?" "I agree with him," Michonne said walking up behind me, "say things go bad in there, I saw how you acted last night. I don't know _everything_ that happened to you before I joined your group in the prison, but I have a feeling that's a pretty big thing." "I agree as well," Daryl said from beside me and causing me to step away from him, "if everything goes well, we'll come back out here and get you. If not, I don't want you getting hurt."

"I'm not a _kid_ ," I said but was stopped by Daryl. "I nearly lost you _once_ already in the past few hours Kathryn," he all but shouted at me, "I won't lose you now. I've lost you enough times before that." I looked up at him, the other three silent as they watched me and Daryl, fighting back the tears that wanted to fall. "Fine," I said before turning my back to him and the others as a tear slowly slipped down my cheek. "Everything will be okay," Dad whispered behind me before I felt him place a kiss on the back of my head. When I turned to look at them as they walked away, Daryl was looking back at me with an apologetic look on his face. "Go," I mouthed to him before trying to smile as he turned and walked away with Dad, Michonne, and Carl.


	78. Carol

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I watched Dad, Michonne, Carl, and Daryl disappear into Terminus without me as I stood back by the fence. As soon as they were gone, I had to move and find somewhere else to sit out and wait. Obviously having discussed where to go and how they could find me, I didn't have a doubt about what I was doing, I just worried about my dad and the others. Turning away from the fence, I walked back into the cover of the woods and searched for the place we agreed I'd hide at. One last look over my shoulder I began making my way towards the place I needed to be.

It didn't take long to reach my destination, a tree that had enough thick branches I could climb but also allowed me to get high enough into the canopy that I couldn't be seen unless you knew where to look. Just as I started making my way up to branch we'd picked out, the sound of gunfire reached my ears. "No," I whispered to myself as I looked back towards the direction Terminus was in. We thought something like this would happen, but we'd hoped that it wouldn't and this would be our lucky break. Guess those don't exist anymore in this world.

I sat in the tree, trying to decide what to do knowing I couldn't go into Terminus to rescuse the others on my own. Before I could make a decision, someone walked by below where I sat in my tree. Thinking it'd be wise if I stayed quiet as they passed, I watched as they passed by. When I spotted the short grey hair though after they'd walked a short distance, I tood a chance and followed the gut feeling I had that I knew this person walking by. Climbing down quietly, I followed behind a good few paces until I was sure that I knew who this was.

"Carol," I called out, seeing the one person I hadn't seen since the prison had the flu epidemic. I watched as she stopped in her tracks at the sound of my voice and slowly turned around to face me where I stood. "Kathryn," she said when her eyes landed on me, "what are you dong out here?" "I wasn't alone to start with," I said walking up to the older woman, "Dad, Michonne, Daryl, and Carl went in there and left me out here to go into Terminus and check it out." "So it was them that those people were shooting at then," Carol asked looking at me. "I don't know," I said honestly as I began to worry.

"C'mon," she said before taking my hand. We slowly made our way up to the fence that me, Dad, and the others had been at before. We looked through the links in the chain fence and watched as these men pulled four people up off the ground. My breath hitching in my throat when I spotted Dad and Daryl being lifted up and dragged away. Even more so when I spotted two more familiar faces, Bob and Glenn. "We've got to help them," I said panicked as I looked to Carol beside me. "Come on," she said before walking away in a crouch, following the fence as she went. Looking back through the fence, I watched as the strangers disappeared with Dad and the others before following after her quickly.

We both crouched down when we reached another part around Terminus. I watched as she pulled out a rifle and a firework out of the bag she had with her, peering through the sight on the rifle before looking to me. I held my hand out for the rifle and peered through the sight myself as she dug around in her bag. I peered through the sight before spying the tank just on the other side of the fence. "If we shoot that tank," I said looking over her but not finishing my sentence. "I was thinking the same thing," she said nodding before handing me some ammo for the rifle in my hands, "care to do the honors?" Grinning, I took the ammo and loaded the gun before aiming for the tank.


	79. Finding the Others

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I glared at Carol's retreating figure as she turned and began walking away from me. I glanced back down towards Terminus as it burned and walkers invaded it. I wanted to know what the hell it was with everyone and telling me to stay put and to stay out of danger. Didn't _anyone_ know me well enough by now? I get why Dad wanted me to stay back. The realization hit me after they'd gone into Terminus without me. But I couldn't understand why Carol wanted me to stay back. I groaned out in frustration before standing to where I could watched Terminus better, just watching for any sign that my family was going to get out of there safely.

I watched and waited, hoping to see familiar faces escape from that place before I heard a twig snap behind me. Quickly turning around, knife in hand, I watched as Carol appeared out from between the trees. "C'mon," she said waving me to follow her. As I fell into step behind her, I noticed she'd ditched the blood covered tarp she'd been wearing before and her face was somewhat cleaned of the mud that'd had originally been on her face. Looking around as we walked, I realized we would need to head back to where Dad buried the extra weapons. "Carol," I said causing her to stop, "I know where to meet up with Dad. Follow me."

**RICK'S POV**

I was arguing with the others, about if we should go back and finish off Terminus so they couldn't hurt and fool anyone else, when a twig snapping caught not only mine but also Daryl's attention as well. My head snapped up as Daryl quickly turned around before two people side by side came closer into view. There stood, side by side, were Carol and my Kathryn. " _You're okay_ ," Kathryn all but seemed to cry before she ran straight for Daryl as he ran towards her. I watched as when they collided she jumped into his arms, her legs wrapping themselves around his waist as she held on tightly. I glanced around at everyone else as they took in the scene before them, knowing not many knew about the two together.

**DARYL'S POV**

I slowly let Kathryn's feet touch the ground again. Pulling my head back to look at her, I lifted my arms up and placed my hands on each side of her face before slowly resting my forehead against her own. "I'm so _glad_ we left you outside the gate," I whispered as I peered into her blue eyes, "don't know what me, your dad, or Carl woulda done had something happened to you." "I know," she whispered back, "I heard the shots shortly after y'all had entered Terminus. Then after that is when I found Carol." Mentioning Carol, we both turned to look at her as Rick walked closer.

"Did you do that," Rick asked as he looked to Carol. I looked back to Kat beside me and watched as she walked away from me and hugged Carl tightly. As she pulled away from him, she hugged both Glenn and Maggie at the same time, their heads resting on each of her shoulders. I looked back to Rick in time to see him and Carol hugging. When they pulled away, Kathryn had turned around already and was heading straight for her Dad. "Hey Daddy," she whispered before he hugged her tightly. Pulling away but keeping his arm around her shoulders, he looked around at each of us. "You have to come with me," Carol said as Rick and Kat turned to him, "you, Carl, and Kathryn."

**KATHRYN'S POV**

As we began walking, Maggie and Glenn came up beside me. "That was more than just a _friendly_ _hug_ ," Maggie said smirking down at me. I merely blushed and looked away, managing to glance over to where Daryl was walking a few paces away from me. "I take it your dad knows," Glenn said as he snapped my attention away from Daryl, "otherwise I don't think _either_ of you would have done such a thing with you own dad watching." "He figured it out," I said glancing to the two before moving up to walk beside Daryl. "Getting interrogated," he asked, the ever present smirk on his face.

I elbowed him for that remark before I turned back to find a shack in front of us. Confused, I glanced to Carol ahead of us for a moment before looking back at the sound of the door closing. There, walking out of the shack, was Tyresse holding my baby sister. I heard Dad and Carl dropping what they had in their hands before the three of us took off running. Dad reached them first, taking Judy in his arms before kneeling down just as Carl and me reached him. I could feel the tears slowly sliding down my face as I kneeled down next to him, placing my hand on the her little back as Carl placed his on her small head.

I leaned forward, placing a small kiss on the side of her head before moving my hand and wrapping both my arms around my dad and little brother. "What's left of our family is back together," I whispered, looking to Dad and then Carl before looking to little Judith in their arms. As I watched my small family, I leaned my head against Dad's shoulder before my eyes glanced to Daryl. He was standing there, watching not only my little family reunion, but also Sasha's and Tyresse's too. I smiled when his eyes met with mine, whether _he_ liked it or not, he was part of _my_ family too.


	80. Moving On

**KATHRYN'S POV**

It was our first night all together again since the fall of the prison and Terminus. Dad was currently on watch, Daryl and I were to take over next but we'd snuck off away from the group for a few moments of alone time before we went and relieved Dad of his watch. Daryl had my back pressed roughly against a tree, his mouth attached to my neck as he nibbled and licked the area while I closed my eyes and bit my lip in an attempt to keep from moaning out loud. He moved his mouth the the back of my neck before I felt him quickly flip me around so that I was now facing the tree.

Instinctively I placed my hands on the trunk of the tree as I felt his calloused fingers move my red hair off to the side so that my shoulders, neck and back that wasn't covered were now exposed before his lips began trailing kisses downwards. I bit down on my lip harder to keep from moaning as he moved his hands to the waist of my shorts all the while he kept his mouth in close contact with the skin on my neck and shoulders. I gasped out when he quickly jerked my shorts and underwear down before he brought his lips up to my ear as I heard him unfastening his own belt and pants. "Better hang on," he whispered huskily in my ear, "this is gonna be _quick_."

**DARYL'S POV**

I smirked over at Kat as she attempted to keep from walking bow-legged. Well, I wasn't lying when I said it'd be quick, we only had a short amount of time before we had to relieve her dad from his watch and take over. But at least we both had our releases and even though I'm sure she was hurting, I knew she wouldn't complain about it. Hell she seemed to enjoy it a little rough. When we finally reached Rick, he turned around at our approach before looking to his daughter. I watched as this smirk crossed his face before he looked between us.

"Enjoy yourselves did you," he asked and even in the darkness, I could see Kat already beginning to turn red. "What do you mean," she stammered as she tried to hide her face not _only_ from her dad but also _me_. "Got something on your neck," he said laughing as he pointed to Kat's neck before walking off as I watched her face seem to turn the same shade as her hair almost. "I _hate_ you," she said swatting at me which only caused me to chuckle as I easily dodged the hit that was headed for my stomach.

"I didn't nothing wrong," I said as I tried to keep from laughing again at the rage on her face as we sat down by a tree that was set as the lookout post for each watch. "You gave me a damn _hickey_ ," she growled as she tried to glare over at me in the dark. All I did was smirk at her before turning my attention to the area around us. It was probably an hour into our watch, I was resting my head on the butt of my crossbow before I found myself just _watching_ Kat beside me. "Why are you staring at me," she asked, not even turning to face me as she seemed to be able to just sense me watching her.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

When he didn't asnwer, I looked over at him to see his blue eyes were still focused on me. "I'm scared if I look away then you'll just disappear into a cloud of smoke," he said causing me to roll my eyes even though I was smiling. "When did you get so cheesy and sentimental," I asked smirking at him. It was his turn to roll his eyes and just as he was about to open his mouth and speak, the sound of rustling leaves and a snapping twig caught his attention. Jumping to his feet, he had his crossbow up and ready. Not taking any chances, I was up on my feet with the rifle Dad had left for watch in my hands and ready to go.

"Daryl," I whispered as I raised the gun a little higher, "what is it?" I was on high alert, especially since we'd just took down a pretty big place and if there were survivers, they weren't going to be too _happy_ with us right now. He took a moment, looking around ahead of us before he finally decided to answer me. "It's nothing," he said, lowering his crossbow. He gave the woods ahead of us one last look before he turned his attention to look back at me. "But," I asked, my attention going back to the woods behind him. "It's nothing," he repeated, "probably just a squirrel or deer." Sighing, I nodded as we both took our seats back by the tree to finish out our watch.


	81. Someone Needs Help

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I guess at some point, after the small excitment from the noise earlier in our watch, I used Daryl's shoulder as a pillow. One minute, I was staring at the small fire he'd lit because I was complaining it was getting chilly, and then the next he was shaking me awake slightly and the sun was starting to rise. "I'm going to go out and get the group some squirrel," he whispered to me as I sat up fully on my own, "finish out our watch and then I'll see you as we start moving on." "Yeah okay sure," I mumbled as I looked up at him sleepily.

He chuckled at my tiredness while I simply flipped him the bird before tightening the ponytail my hair was still in. As he walked off, crossbow in hand, I straightened up slightly and rubbed sleep out of my eyes as I looked around the forest that surrounded me. I inhaled deeply, smelling the familiar early morning, earthy smell. I wasn't on my own for too long before Dad walked over and sat down next to me where Daryl had sat that night. "You get any sleep while on watch with Daryl," he asked, obviously knowing Daryl would've let me sleep if I was tired enough.

"I dozed," I nodded as I leaned against his shoulder, "we heard a noise at one point." "I know," he said as I looked up at him from my spot against his shoulder, "Daryl told me before he headed out to get some squirrel. He's going to look and see if he can't spot any tracks, figure out what it was." "He said he figured it was a deer or something," I said confused as I sat up straight again to face him fully. "He's just double checking," Dad said quickly trying to defend Daryl, "he just didn't want to worry you." "I'm not some little _kid_ Dad," I groaned out, "I want to be kept in the loop with this stuff. I want to _help_."

**RICK'S POV**

I knew she wanted to help, I'd honestly be more surprised if she _didn't_. When we finally packed up camp and began making our way through the woods, she was walking right behind me holding her little sister while Carl walked beside her. He kept glancing over at his sisters, smiling at Judy when she'd look at him before lifting his smiling eyes to his older sister. The smile on Kathryn's face though when Judith looked up at her next, I was happy she still had a reason to smile. The sound of a twig snapping next to us hand everyone on alert as we all lifted our guns.

**DARYL'S POV**

I looked up ahead of me, squirrels on my shoulder, to see the entire group aiming guns at me. Well, it's good to know everyone's on their toes. "We surrender," I said, holding up my crossbow and string of squirrels as everyone lowered their guns. I glanced to Kat where she stood behind Rick and Carl with little Ass-Kicker in her arms. Looking back to Rick, he began walking on with the others following behind. I walked up to join them, walking next to him as I explained what I found.

"No tracks," I muttered as I glanced at him, "no nothing. It's like they were a ghost." "So what you and Kathryn heard last night," he asked looking to me. "Heard _something_ ," I nodded, "but I more or less _felt_ it. If someone was watching us, there would have been _something_." Rick looked at me for a moment before nodding slightly. He stopped and turned to face the rest of the group, urging them to keep up. In that time, Kat walked up and took his place next to me with her little sister still in her arms.

"Did you find anything," she asked, looking up at me. "No," I said shaking my head, "and that's what bothers me the most." "You felt it too," she asked, "I didn't know what I was feeling at first but after you left this morning, I realized that I had this feeling last night of being _watched_." "Yeah," I said, "I felt it." I glanced over at her as her little sister began to fuss in her arms. "I'm going to hand her off to Tyreese," she said, "he seems to like holding her. I'll catch back up."

**KATHRYN'S POV**

It didn't take long to hand off my little sister who seemed ready for a nap already and the day only just began. Once she was in the little carrier that he carried on his back, I made my way back up to walk beside Daryl once more as Carl and Dad joined up beside us. It had probably been a couple hours since we started walking this morning, but there was no telling where we were currently going. That is until we heard _one_ noise that had Carl begging Dad. " _Help_ ," a voice shouted out in the distance, three times, before Dad agreed and we all made our way towards the person who seemed to be in trouble.


	82. Father Gabriel

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I trailed behind Dad and Daryl, my own hunting knife in hand as Daryl had his crossbow up. Carl was beside me as we kept pace. When the cries for help got louder, we came to a tiny clearing that had one large bolder in the center that was surrounded by walkers. And on top of that bolder, the person responsible for the cries for help. "If he doesn't shut his mouth he'll draw even _more_ to him," I muttered as I followed behind and went to help dispatch the walkers so the guy would _stop_ screaming.

Carl shot one, Dad bashed one's head in against the rock, Michonne got another one with the butt of the rifle she had in her hand, and I ran up to one with knife in hand before stabbing it in the head. I backed up, watching it slide down the rock before I heard some snarling coming from my right. "Kat duck," I heard Daryl say and ducked just before I heard the familiar release of the crossbow he had. I looked to my right to see the walker with a bolt in it's head before looking back to Daryl. "Thanks," I said as he quickly stepped up beside me and looked me over.

"You alright," he asked as his eyes searched for any signs of an injury. "I'm _fine_ Daryl," I said smiling before turning my attention to Dad. Everyone glanced around, making sure that there was no other hidden walkers that we had yet to see. "We're clear," Dad called out as he looked to everyone, "keep watch." Daryl placed his hand on the small of my back before I moved away and went to my little sister who seemed to be waking up after being jostled around like she had when we all went running to the cry for help.

**DARYL'S** **POV**

Rick told the man dressed like a priest to get down from the rock as my attention when to Kat. She was walking back to stand next to me with a still sleepy Judith on her hip. I watched as she sleepily rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she looked around at what was going on. When Kat stopped next to me, I couldn't help but lightly brush the back of Judith's head before turning my attention back to Rick. Out of the corner of my eye, I could tell the motion hadn't gone unnoticed by Kat but she didn't say anything and just watched her father in front of us.

"You okay," Rick asked before the man held up a finger. Seconds later, he was doubled over and puking up his guts. I heard Kat groan from beside me and looked to see her turning her attention away from the man and holding her eyes closed. I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle which caused her eyes to shoot open before glaring in my direction. "Shut up Dixon," she muttered to me, eyes still glaring before she turned her attention back to the scene before us. "Sorry," I heard the man mutter as he finally straightened up and looked at us all as we looked back at him.

**RICK'S POV**

I watched, as the man before me seemed to try and cover up for the fact that he'd just had to call for help. "Thank you," he said looking around at us all, "I'm Gabriel." "Do you have any weapons on you," I asked while he gave me a dumbfounded look. "Do I look like I'd have any weapons," he asked, a nervous laugh leaving him. "We don't _care_ what it looks like," I heard Kathryn say from next to Daryl. I glanced over at her to see Judy in her arms before looking back to Gabriel. "I have no _weapons_ of any kind," he said looking at me, "the word of God is all the protection I'll ever need."

"Sure didn't _look_ like it," Daryl said next to Kathryn. "Hold your hands up," I said motioning to Gabriel to do so before stepping up and patting him down. He _looked_ like a priest, but after everything we'd been through the past few hours, I wasn't taking the chance. "Do you have any food," he asked once I backed away, "the last of what I had ended up on the ground just now." "We've got some pecans," Carl said, handing over the nuts he had in his hand. "Thank you," Gabriel said as he took them before looking to the rest of us.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I watched as the man looked around at all of us, his eyes landing on Judith in my arms just as she started to coo. "That's a beautiful child," he said looking from her to me, "is she yours?" I opened my mouth, only to close it again in shock. I looked like a gasping fish out of water as I tried to tell him no. I felt Daryl step closer to me, placing his hand on my lower back in a sense of comfort. "No," I finally got out, "she's my sister." "Oh I apologize," he said but from the look in his eyes when he caught a glance of Daryl's hand disappearing behind me, I take it he didn't believe what I said.


	83. The Church

**DARYL'S POV**

I walked next to Rick and Kat, her still holding tightly to her little sister as we followed behind Gabriel to wherever his _church_ was. "He doesn't believe she's my sister," Kat whispered to me, glancing to the man she was talking about. "How you know," I asked, my eyes darting to him before back to her. "The look he gave me," she said, "and you having your hand on my back didn't help. He probably thinks she's _ours_." I stared at her as the thought crossed my mind that someone thought we had a child together. When I watched her as she walked on, she didn't seem to show any sign of whether that bothered her.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

The thought of me and Daryl having a child, only because Father Gabriel seemed to assume it, well it was a strange thought. Before the turn, I'd always wanted a child even if I was too young to have one myself. That's probably why I took such a liking to Carl and even now my baby sister. But to bring a child into this world, could a woman do anything more cruel? I didn't hate my step-mother for keeping Judith, it just scared me now that I might end up like she did if I got pregnant now.

I glanced over at Daryl, he'd walked a few steps ahead of me since I'd drifted off into my thoughts. I was getting ahead of myself, thinking I'd have a child with him _ever_ , so I just pushed it from my mind before turning my attention to my little sister as she seemed to coo from on my hip. I smiled down at her before picking up my pace and catching up to Dad, Daryl, and Father Gabriel at the front. "I keep to myself," I heard Gabriel say as he looked to Dad, "nowadays, people are just as dangerous as the dead. Don't you think?" "No," Daryl said from beside me, "people are worse."

"Well I wasn't watching you," he said as he turned slightly to look at us all, "I haven't been beyond the stream near my church more than a few times since it all started." "Well hasn't he been sheltered," I muttered to Daryl, earning a chuckle from him and causing me to grin. "That was the furthest I've gone before today," he added before looking ahead. I rolled my eyes as I glanced to Daryl once more as he fixed the string of squirrel on his shoulder. "Or maybe I'm _lying_ ," Gabriel said as he snapped my attention back to him, "maybe I'm lying about _everything_ and there's no church ahead at all."

**DARYL'S** **POV**

I looked at this man walking in front of me like he'd completely lost his mind. "Maybe I'm leading you into a trap," he said, "so I can steal all your squirrels." I narrowed my eyes at him as he turned to look at me specifically before I heard Kat scoff from beside me. We all stopped around him, giving him these looks that were asking what the hell he was on. "Members of my flock had often told me my sense of humor leaves much to be desired," he said looking at us as he tried get himself out of the trouble he'd got into with us. "Yeah it does," Kat said just before he walked on, leading us towards this _church_ of his.

I looked to Kat as she gave this look that seemed to speak loads about what she thought of this man before she handed her little sister off to Carl for his turn to hold her. "I think he's been on his own too long," she whispered to me as we picked up with walking, catching up to the others. "I'll say," I nodded back, "something ain't sitting right about him though." "I have the same feeling," she nodded, "saying he hasn't been past the river near his church since the start. How has he gotten food then cause he don't look like a survivalist."

"Don't know," I said shaking my head, "keep your guard up though. Don't know what he's capable of yet." "Yeah," she said nodding. I watched as her hand instinctively went to the hidden gun in the back of her waistband to her jeans. Instead of leaving it there, she decided to pull it out, holding it out in front of her as she check the clip to make sure it was loaded. When she was satisfied, she kept it in hand and when I looked ahead again, there was a little white church up ahead of us.

When we got closer, Father Gabriel walked up the steps to the door while I walked to the other side of the church to peer around while Rick stopped Gabriel from unlocking the door. "Hold up," Rick said, glancing to his daughter then to where I still stood. I knew what he was wanting to do. Been around him this long, I should know that he'd want to make sure it was secure for his family before he put them in harms way. "Can we look around first," he asked looking back up to Gabriel, "we just want to hold on to our squirrels."

I heard Kat snicker, obviously Gabriel did too as he looked over to where she stood. He looked back to Rick before nodding once and handing over the church key. Rick, Glenn, Michonne, Kat and myself went in with our guns drawn and on the look out for any sort of threat. Kat stayed next to me as we made our way through the church. The others looking around the grounds outside. "We're clear," I said as Kat and I walked back to the others before making our way outside to the rest of the group to deliver the news.


	84. Troubled Thoughts

**KATHRYN'S POV**

When Dad, Michonne, Bob, Sasha, and Father Gabriel went to the place where he'd been to _chicken_ to go to by himself, Daryl and I went to find some water from the stream he'd mention before. It was something me and him could do alone, like our little job we had back before the prison fell and when we'd been looking for poor Sophia back on the farm. I never told Daryl but I still get small nightmares about that day, seeing her little body crumbling to the ground when Dad had to shoot her. Or seeing her walk out of that barn as a walker to begin with. I even still blamed _myself_ for her being there.

It was dark by the time we all had gathered around inside the church. Abraham had finsihed working on the short bus out back and had it running, with Eugene's help, or so I was told. We were eating on some of the food Dad and the others had came back with, candles lit up all around to give us some light. I smiled, laughing as Dad took a bite of food from Judy's outstretched hand. I was sitting with Daryl a few pews back, leaning against him with my feet on the seat, my legs curled up so they were against my chest. As I looked around at my family, and those that have became part of my family, I felt my smile fall slightly.

Looking back towards the door to the church, I couldn't stop my thoughts from hitting me. "I'm going to go take a small walk," I whispered to Daryl, not wanting to disturb everyone else's happiness around me. "I'll come with ya," he said, causing me to look back at him while I sat my feet on the ground. Not seeing a way to keep him from it, I just simply nodded before we both climbed to our feet and made our way outside the church without being noticed. As we made our way away from the church, the silence of the world surrounded us. The only noise, was from the insects and our walking.

**DARYL'S** **POV**

"What's on your mind Kat," I asked, glancing over at her. She'd been quiet since we'd left the church and I'd grown to know when something bothered her. "Just my thoughts getting the better of me," she whispered, looking up at me and trying to give me a small smile but it was nothing more than a grimace. "You know everything's gonna be okay," I said as she looked back ahead of us. "Yeah," she said and this time gave me a small smile for real, "just kept thinking about what will happen if we _do_ go to DC like we're supposed to in the morning. What if Beth is still alive out there somewhere and we leave without looking for her?"

"You're thinking about Sophia again aren't ya," I asked as I pulled her to a stop and looking down at her. "It has crossed my mind," she whispered, avoiding eye contact with me. Sighing, I glanced around before realizing that we'd stopped by that car we'd found earlier. "Beth's a strong girl," I said looking back to Kat, "she's like you in so many ways. She'll make it out there, even if it's on her own." "I'd rather she didn't have to," Kat said with a sigh. "C'mere," I said before grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards me.

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I wrapped my arms around Daryl, well after the sudden shock wore off. My head rested against his chest as he rested his own on top of my head. "You're going soft Dixon," I whispered, giggling quietly as I felt a rumble in his chest as he chuckled. "Only around you," he whispered into the top of my head before pulling back slightly to look at me, "and little Ass-Kicker." "Should I be _jealous_ ," I asked smirking up at him while he returned it with his own. "Nah," he said, "I like the older sister better anyway."

I felt a blush creeping up onto my cheeks as I looked up at him. How I'll never know, but even in the darkness that surrounded us, I could his blue eyes seeming to sparkle in the star light. Almost as if his eyes were stars themselves. Pulling back slightly, I stood up onto my tip toes before watching as he leant down slightly and placed his lips on top of mine. It was nothing more than a short and sweet peck, not something that'd ruin the moment. I went to open my mouth and say something, but the sound of a fast approaching car silenced anything I'd been about to say as Daryl wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me back so that we crouched behind the car on the side of the road.

When they'd passed, Daryl quickly ran to the edge of the road, looking at the car that'd gone by before running past me and using his crossbow to break the tail lights to the car. "What are you doing," I shouted as I watched him before he moved to the driver side. "They took Beth," he shouted back as he hopped into the car and started it. Thinking it'd be better than staying behind, I climbed in with him as he pulled off from the side of the road. I looked back behind us only _once_ before looking ahead again and grabbing Daryl's had from resting on the center console. We were going to find Beth, and we were going to get her _back._


	85. Back in Atlanta

**KATHRYN'S POV**

We sat in silence in the dark car, following the tail lights to the car that had passed us about an hour earlier. Daryl hadn't been one for showing affection of any type, and the only time I'd held his hand had been back on the farm, but right now he let me keep his free hand in mine as we grew further and further from our group. There was no telling where we were going, but that didn't stop us, this was our only way of finding Beth again. Daryl squeezed my hand at that moment, almost like he could feel where my thoughts were going.

"We won't leave without her," he said, glancing at me for only a second before turning his eyes back to the road. "I know," I said as I watched the world around us zoom on by, "I'm just glad to know that we're heading to where she could very well be." We stayed quiet after that, both seeming lost in our thoughts. "How we doin' on gas," I asked after a few minutes, leaning over to look at the gauge on the dash. "We're good for now," he said, causing me to look up at him as he peered at me before I sat back.

**DARYL'S POV**

"How do you know those people in that car are the _same_ people who took Beth before," she asked as she sat back in her seat. I watched as she sunk down some before lifting her feet up to place them on the dash in front of her, getting comfortable for the ride and however long it may take. "When I was with her before," I said as I stared at the road ahead, "we got cornered in a funeral home. She got out before me, while I drew the walkers' attention away from her. When I got out, she was just _gone_. And a car with a white cross was pulling away."

"Like the one we're following," she said, putting two and two together as she looked to her knees in thought. "Yeah," I said, even though I knew I didn't really need to _answer_ her for her to know that she was right. It was pretty obvious with the way I'd reacted when the car drove by to start with. "You know your dad's gonna wonder where we went off to," I said after a few minutes, looking over at her when I mentioned her dad. "Yeah I know," she whispered before peering up at me, "he'll understand."

It got quiet again between us, the usual comfortable silence we got whenever we were together and alone. "The usual plan," Kat asked after a few minutes. "Yeah," I said glancing over at her, "follow them and see who they are. If they got a group we'll watch them and see what they can do then go from there." "Okay," she said before looking ahead of us, "they're heading north on I-85. Depending on where we are, do you think they're headed back to Atlanta? Maybe?" "We'll see," I said as I continued to follow behind before the familiar skyline to Atlanta appeared before us.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

As we entered the city, a sort of nostalgia came over me as I remembered when we were here last time. It was about a year and a half ago I'd have to guess now. When I felt the car pulling to a stop, I snapped out of my thoughts and peered ahead to see the car we'd been following had pulled to a stop at the street corner. "The hell they doing," I asked before glancing to Daryl. He glanced at me for a second before looking back and seeing the car in front of us be put in park. Quickly, Daryl turned the car off so if someone got out then they wouldn't hear ours running in the silence.

We sat there waiting, before the passenger side door opened to reveal that there were two people in that car instead of one. "There's two of 'em," he said as we both watched the man walk out of sight just past a building. "That means there's possibly more," I said glancing to him, "we'll need to be careful." He looked to me and nodded before looking back ahead. Seconds later, a loud bang sounded from beside me, causing us both to jump and turn our attention to my window. There, banging one the glass and snarling, was a walker.

Rolling my eyes and letting out a sigh, I looked back ahead of us to see the guy walking back to the car. This time I could make him out a little better, and leaned forward to get a better look. "Is he a _cop_ ," I asked in disbelief as the guy climbed into his car. Glancing at Daryl, he merely shrugged before we watched the car pull off. When he tried to turn the car back on, it wouldn't start. "Shit," Daryl muttered, "tanks empty." "If they were just driving through the city," I said looking ahead, "then they would've taken the bypass."

"Yeah and they didn't," he said before looking around, "they must be holed up here in the city somewhere." "The walker brought it's buddies," I said nodding ahead of us to the slowly approaching heard. "Gotta find someplace to hole up till morning," he said nodding. Looking around, I realized I knew where we were. Pulling my knife out, I looked to Daryl. "I know a place," I said, "it's a couple blocks from here. We can make it." He nodded before watching me roll my window down and stabbing the walker there. Once that was taken care of we climbed out. "Follow me," I said before taking off, Daryl easily keeping pace with me.


	86. Temporary Housing

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"How'd you know about this place," Daryl asked, after we'd gotten into the building and started looking around. "Dad brought me up here the last summer before the world went to hell," I said glancing over at him before looking around the front office we'd entered. One last look around the office, we moved the desk from the center of the room until it was in front of one door before I walked over to the other door and tried to open it. Finding it locked, I looked around for a set of keys that might work before Daryl handed me the ones he'd found.

"Thanks," I said after taking them, turning to face the door as I looked for the key I needed. I heard Daryl walk closer before the light he held was over my head and giving me the added light I needed to find the key I was looking for. Once I got the door opened, we walked in and looked through the rooms, Daryl following behind me as I knew where I was going. "What was this place," he asked when I entered a room that had a set of bunk beds in it. "Temporary housing," I said as I glanced around the room and memories flooded me.

**DARYL'S POV**

"Why did you want to come here for your summer break," I asked as I sat my crossbow down and glanced over at her, "you could've been doing _anything_ for your time away from school." "I know," she said nodding, "but I wanted to help people. After all, had the world not gone to hell I'd probably be in college or something by now and working on my way to be a cop like Dad." "You were going to be a cop," I asked looking over at her. "Yeah," she said smiling, "I always looked up to Dad. He knew I wanted to be a cop and he liked the idea of me working here for a summer."

"Like father like daughter huh," I said, earning a small laugh from Kat. I sat back on the bottom bunk, Kat quickly making her way to sit next to me with a sort of focused look on her face. "What's on your mind," I asked, causing her to look over at me. "I never realized it before," she started, "but now that I'm here and having spent so much time with them, I realize now that I saw Carol and Sophia back before the world ended. They stayed a couple days before she left and took her daughter with her."

I looked at her, as she seemed to get a far away look to her eyes before her expression seemed to fall. "Don't go there Kat," I said, knowing _exactly_ where her thoughts were going. "I never knew why they were there," she said, "I just thought that maybe they'd lost their home or something. _Not_ that Ed had been beating them." " _Kat_ ," I said before pulling her into my arms just as she seemed to break down into tears, "you couldn't have known. There was no way you could've known."

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I woke up to the sun slowly making its way in through the window across the room. I guess I fell asleep last night after I started crying in Daryl's arms. As my senses slowly came back to me, I realized I wasn't lying on _just_ the bunk bed. Sitting up slightly I looked down to see I was partially laying on Daryl while the rest of me was on the bed. I felt his arm on my lower back tighten some before his blue eyes fluttered open and peered back up at me. "Mornin'," he whispered, his voice rough and husky from sleep."Didn't peg you as a cuddler," I whispered back with a smirk.

"Normally ain't," he said as he continued to stare up at me, "but you were upset. Did you know you fell asleep faster in my arms than when you sleep next to your ol' man or brother?" "Guess I just felt safer in your arms," I said with a shrug before getting up and to my feet, "c'mon. We still gotta find those people who took Beth." He sat up on the bed and looked up at me before nodding and standing to his feet. "That car was headed downtown," he said as he grabbed his things, "we stand a better chance of finding them by getting to the top of one of the tall ones and looking around from there." "Let's go then," I said before leading the way out of the room.


	87. Stranger

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I stayed behind Daryl as we walked through the streets. I'd watched him grab a couple things, I guess to use somehow, but didn't question it. We came up to a corner, the smell from all the walkers and the sound of their growls, gave away that we may have to find a different way. We put our backs to the wall, Daryl peering around the corner and looking up before looking further. When he finally faced me he nodded. "We can get up there," he said, "there's a pass that connects the two buildings." Nodding, I stepped around him quietly before peering around the corner myself to see.

"How are we gonna get past all those walkers," I asked in a whisper as I pulled back away from the corner of the building and looked back at him. He didn't say anything, just held up the note pad I'd watched him grab earlier. Realization hit me and I nodded, stepping out of his way as he lit the pad of paper with his lighter before looking around the corner again. When he figured he'd get the attention of the walkers, he tossed it before planting his back against the wall again.

**DARYL'S POV**

I peered around the corner, watching as the group of walkers moved slowly over to the burning object before looking back at Kat. Nodding, we quietly made our way around the corner and up the street, looking for a way into the building we were next to. Looking to my left at the sound of a snarl, I spotted the entrance to the parking garage. Along with it's own guard, a _walker_. Quickly lifting my crossbow and firing a bolt into it's skull, Kat and I ran inside before we were noticed by the destracted herd just outside.

On our way by the down walker, I grabbed my fired arrow before looking back to Kat as she followed behind. "We need to find the entrance to the bridge," I said, earning a silent nod from her before we started making our way up to the next floor of the garage. Once we found the door we were looking for, we cautiously made our way inside, only to be greeted with the smell of rotting flesh and the sound of more growls. Taking the lead, I walked slowly towards the main part of the bridge before finding the source of the noise and smell. Looking back to where Kat stood, I motioned with my head that it was safe before turning around and pulling my knife out of it's place on my side.

As I placed the knife into the walker's skull, I looked back in time to see Kat pulling her own knife out of another geek's head before looking up at me with a smile. "Let's keep moving," she said as her eyes landed on the tents behind me, "I don't trust those tents to hold _long_ with us near by." Nodding, I lead the way to the other door which was chained shut. Pulling it opened, I motioned for her to go first. Nodding, she passed her stuff through the door first before peering up and down the hall. Once she was through, I held my crossbow out for her to take before attempting to climb through myself.

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I took Daryl's crossbow, standing back so that I was out of the way as I watched him climb through. "Good thing we skipped breakfast," he mumbled as he finally got through and climbed to his feet. "I don't know what you're talking about," I said with a smirk, "I fit through there without a problem." "Yeah well you're _smaller_ than I am," he said looking down at me, causing me to giggle. I couldn't help but smile up at him as he looked down at me before looking around again. "Okay," I said, "let's find some stairs and make our way up as far as we can." Glancing back at Daryl in front of me, he nodded before leading the way down the hall.

When we made it to the top floor, we walked around before finding an office that had a pretty decent view. We stood there for a few moments in silence, just looking out the window, before I glanced over at him. "Daryl do you still think about what happened at the prison," I asked looking up at him as he turned his blue eyes to me, "I can see it in your eyes. Almost _every_ time you look at me. You get this haunted look sometimes, like you're remembering something that you need to forget." "I don't wanna talk about _that_ Kat," he said before turning his head back to the window.

Sighing, I let the subject drop before watching him as he leaned closer to the window. "See something," I asked. "Maybe," he muttered before grabbing something to help him see whatever he was looking at better. I watched as he peered at the spot in question before he looked to me. "Right there," he pointed before handing me what he'd been using before. When I looked where he pointed, I spotted what he'd seen. "It's got the same white cross," I said looking to Daryl, "but it's been there a while it seems like." "Yeah well," he said looking around, "better than nothing. Maybe we can find out where they're hidding."

"Okay," I said nodding, "let's go then." He looked at me and nodded before grabbing his crossbow and leading the way back down to the walkway we'd used to get over here. When we reached the bridge, I went through first again, tossing my gun and stuff through before climbing through. When I looked up, there stood a boy, about my age maybe, holding my gun at my head. Quickly glancing back, I noticed Daryl climbing through. "Daryl stop," I tried to say, but he'd already climbed through and the sound of the gun cocking had me look back to the guy. I think we're in _deep_ shit now.


	88. Just A Kid

**DARYL'S POV**

I stood next to Kat as she stared the boy at the boy who'd stolen her gun and had it pointed at us. She had her hands up slightly before the boy turned his eyes to me. "Lay down your crossbow," he said, turning the gun to me. "You got some sack on you," I said before tossing it down at me feet and moving to stand closer to Kat. "I just need weapons," the kid said looking at me, "that's _it_ , it's nothing personal." I moved so that I was slightly in front of Kat as the guy nervously stepped forward to grab my crossbow.

I looked back at Kat before looking at him again as he placed my crossbow on his shoulder and began backing up. "Sorry about this," he said before looking to the tent closest to him, "you two look like you can handle yourselves. You'll be alright." That next second, he pulled out a knife before cutting into the tent he was next to, letting out the walker inside. I felt Kat reach behind me and grab the small hand gun I always carried on me before she aimed in at the walker approaching us.

The kid cut the second tent and let out the other walker before turning and quickly making his way off the bridge while the walkers were distracted. I quickly stabbed on walker in the head while she aimed and shot the second walker. When I turned my attention to her, she was aiming her gun at the kid as he reached the end of the bridge. Just before she could shoot, I hit her gun, causing it to shoot at the floor in front of us. "The hell Daryl," she glared at me before turning and running after the kid.

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I could hear Daryl running after me as we reached the door that led to the parking garage we'd been in when we first gained access to the bridge. "Dammit," I muttered as we both pushed hard on the door but it wouldn't budge, the sound of chains giving it away that it'd been locked from the other side. "C'mon," Daryl said looking around, "we'll find another way." "No," I said shaking my head, "we need to find Beth. _That's_ what we came here for and we have a lead. We stick to the plan." He nodded once before leading the way back into the office building we'd been in earlier.

Daryl hadn't spoken to me though since we'd exited off the sky bridge where that boy took our things. "Dammit Daryl," I said running up to him and grabbing his arm to stop him, "we're in the middle of the damn city and he was stealing our weapons. I wasn't going to _kill_ him, I was aiming for his leg. I'm not _heartless_. I don't just _kill_ people." "He's just a damn kid Kat," he finally said as he peered down at me and stared into my eyes. "A kid," I said nodding and taking a step back away from him, "what does that say about _me_ Daryl? He don't look like he's more than one or two years younger than me!"

"Kat that's _not_ what I meant," he said quickly grabbing my arm as I went to step back further from him, "you're twisting my words around and making them mean something they don't. So _stop_." I just stared up at him before pulling my arm out of his grasp and walking ahead of him. I could hear him hesitate for a second longer before he finally started following behind me. How did it _always_ seem to end up with me getting upset when he mentions the _kid_ word? Am I really that self-conscious about being with him, and thinking he'll leave first chance he gets when he realizes he doesn't _have_ to be with a _kid_ like me?

Shaking that thought from my head, I let Daryl lead the way as we made our way back outside and headed in the direction of the van we'd found. When we finally got to it, I watched around us as Daryl opened the back, only to watch it rock slightly from the movement. "Let's get this over with," he said as he moved towards the van. "I'm lighter than you," I said looking over at him, "maybe I should be the one to look for some kind of clue?" I watched as he turned around, and while looking dead at me, hopped into the back of the van. "Dumbass," I whispered, lound enough for him to hear.

**DARYL'S POV**

I gave Kat a slight smirk at what she said before turning and getting to my feet in the back of the van. I cautiously made my way up to the front of the van before hearing her climb in as well. Looking through the sunvisers, I couldn't find anything of use before the sound of snarling caught my attention. I glanced at Kat in time to see her looking out the window on the passenger side of the car. "We're gonna have to fight through," she said, "there's even more coming from this way." "Yeah I see 'em," I said before getting to my feet and making my way back to the back before stopping at the gurney, "GMH? That a hospital?"

"Grady Memorial maybe," Kat said before making it to the doors of the van. "The hospital and the white crosses," I said as we looked out the back, "might be where they're holding up." Coming to that conclusion, we both jumped out of the van before realizing we were completely surrounded and it was probably useless to try and fight through. We try fighting before I hear Kat call out my name. "Kat get in there," I said as I quickly made my way back to her and put my arm around her waist to pull her closer, "go!" She quickly climbed in before I followed in behind, closing the doors to keep them out.

"Daryl they're gonna push us over," Kat said as she sat on the floor of the van, looking around as the herd that had surrounded us began beating on the doors and sides to the van. I looked over at her and could see the fear in her eyes as she looked back at me. "C'mon," I said before grabbing her hand and pulling her to the front. I climbed into the driver's seat and buckled in before turning and watching as Kat did the same in the passanger's seat. I had my hands on the the dash before I looked over once feeling Kat's small hand over mine. "I love you," Kat whispered as I watched tears slowly slip down her face. "You hold on," I say just before I feel the van shift and lean forwards.


	89. Second Meeting

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I felt the van pitch forward before looking away from Daryl and slamming my eyes shut. I felt my body tense and my breathing halt as the gravity around us caused the van to fall. Only when the impact from the van hitting the ground below was felt did I open my eyes and let out a small breath. I looked around, relief flooding through me as I heard Daryl groan from beside me. Looking over, I couldn't help the faint smile I had on my face as he finally looked over at me. "We made it," I whispered, "we're alright."

I watched as Daryl smiled back at me, getting ready to open his mouth to speak, but he didn't get a word out. A wave of falling walkers pounded the roof of the van, earning a squeak of surprise from me. After the first one hit, we just sat there and waited for the thudding sound to stop, signaling that all the walkers that were going to fall had already done so. "Dumbasses," I heard Daryl mutter as we waited, earning a small giggle from me before the falling walkers finally stopped. Giving it an extra minute, we waited before finally opening the doors to climb out.

" _Shit_ ," I groaned out as I pulled the seatbelt off of me before opening my door and climbing out. I looked around as I heard Daryl open his door before I walked around to his side. He held his arm around for me which I gladly took before he wrapped it around my waist to help keep me up on my feet. I'd never been in a car accident but I could almost bet this is what it'd feel like. My muscles felt stiff and and I hurt _everywhere_. I glanced over at Daryl as we stumbled back towards the buildings, I could only _imagine_ how he felt after that drop.

**DARYL'S POV**

We'd made our way to an area that seemed secure, deciding we needed to rest and asses the damage before moving on to find Beth. "Here," I said handing Kat the canteen of water. "Thanks," she whispered out, slowly lifting her arm up to take it from me. I watched as she grimaced slightly before bringing it to her lips. When she lowered her arm, she grimaced more before peering up at me. "Let me see," I whispered as I knelt down in front of her. I lifted my hand slightly and helped as she gingerly moved part of her shirt to show me the growing bruise from the seat belt.

"Damn that was stupid," I muttered as I started to walk away from her some. "But we made good time getting down here," she said looking up at me as I looked back at her, "and at least now we have a destination in mind as to where Beth is. We've got three more blocks before we're at Grady." "We should scope it out first," I said looking at her as I sat down beside her, "see what we see. Don't know who these pricks are. Don't need _another_ one of us taken by them." "Okay," she whispered with a nod.

"I miss your crossbow already," Kat said as we entered one of the buildings close to Grady. I looked over at her before shaking my head as we made our way up to a higher floor for a better vantage point. We stood by a window that looked out at Grady, watching to see if we could find out who these people were. We couldn't have been there long before we heard a noise from somewhere else on the floor we were on. I led the way out of the room we'd been in and followed the noise to see a walker pined to the wall with a bolt sticking out of its neck.

"Is that one of yours," Kat asked from behind me, having seen the same thing I was seeing. "Yeah," I said before burying the machette I'd found in its head and taking back my bolt. I went to look back at Kat and say something, but the sound of gun fire just ahead caught my attention. I glanced at her before taking off running with her right on my heels. Kat seemed to get around me, rounding the corner first. When I caught up, there was that kid again and he was fighting with a walker before he pushed it in Kat's direction.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I quickly pulled my knife out when I realized that walker was coming towards me, but I wasn't fast enough and ended up on my back with it over top of me. I cried out as it landed on the still very tender bruise before trying to sink its teeth into my neck. When the walker stilled above me, I watched as it was yanked away before Daryl's face appeared in front of me. "You alright," he asked before he helped me stand to my feet. "Yeah I'm good," I said as I winced slightly, "go. I'll be right behind you."

He hesitated for only a second before walking on and turning down another corridor. When I finally caught up, the kid was on his back with a shelf on top of him and Daryl was getting to his feet. "I had to protect myself," the boy pleaded, "I'm _sorry_. I told you it was nothing personal." "Why are you following us," Daryl yelled down at the boy. "I thought _you_ followed _me_ ," the guy cried out. " _Bullshit_ ," Daryl said before reaching down and grabbing the carton of cigarettes that fell off the shelf.

I watched as the guy kept begging for help while Daryl just put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. "Nah," he said, "I've already helped you once." With that, he walked off, leaving me to stand there shocked. " _Daryl_ ," I called out, causing him to stop and look at me. "You almost _died_ because of him," he shouted as he pointed at him. "I didn't though," I said looking at him. "Nah," he said looking to him, "let him be." I stared at him before looking back to the kid. " _No_ ," I shouted before dropping what I had in my hands and bent down to help the guy.


	90. Noah

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I looked away as Daryl started walking off, looking back towards the guy as he laid there trapped under the shelf. I dropped the pack I had in my hands before getting ready to drop to my knees in an attempt to help him. Well I _would_ have, had the walker that'd been on the other side of the door hadn't squeezed through. I was about to pull my knife out to help him when a bolt flew past me and found its way into the walker's skull. I quickly looked to my right to see Daryl lowering his crossbow as the walker slumped over the guy.

I walked over, pulling the walker off the shelf before watching as Daryl made his way over to lift up the shelf. "C'mon," I said holding my hand out, helping to pull him out from under the shelf before Daryl let it drop back to the ground with a loud thump. "Thank you," he said looking at me once he was clear of the shelf, "thank you so much." I smiled weakly at the guy before I hunched over slightly as a slight pain radiated from the upper part of my chest where I had that bruise.

**DARYL'S POV**

I watched that kid jump to his feet, limping over to the window as fast as he could when he saw my feet right in front of him. I wasn't worried about _him_ right now, I was more worried about Kat. "You okay," I asked as I bent down in front of her. "Yeah," she whispered before I held out my hand to her. She took it with a small smile before I helped her stand to her feet as we both looked over to the kid. "I gotta go," I heard him whisper, "they're gonna come. They probably heard those shots. If they find me, they'll take me back."

"Who," I asked looking at him, my attention completely on him now. "Them," he said looking out the window again, "the people at that hospital." I quickly shared a look with Kat before I walked up to him as he went to walk by me. "Wait," I said stopping him as I help my hand out and placed it on his chest to stop him, "just tell us, is there a blonde girl there?" " _Beth_ ," he asked as I watched Kat's head snap around to us when she said her name, "you know her?" "She's from our group," Kat said, a small smile crossing her face before it went away as she looked back towards the window.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"She helped me get out but she's still there," I heard the guy say behind me, but my attention was on what I saw outside the window. "They're coming," I said once I spotted the car driving by slowly down the street. "We gotta go," the guy said, "we gotta go _now_." I shared a look with Daryl before he nodded and led the way out of the room we'd been in. "We never caught your name," I said looking at the guy as I quickly walked beside him with Daryl on his other side. "Noah," he said as he gave a small smile. "I'm Kathryn," I said befor motioning to Daryl on his other side, "that's Daryl." He smiled at me before looking to Daryl. "The building next door has a basement," he said, "we'll be safe there."

**NOAH'S POV**

I tried to pick up my pace, to help them be able to get to safety faster, but my leg gave out on me and caused me to fall to the floor. "Go," the man named Daryl said to the girl who said her name was Kathryn, "I got him." I looked up as she nodded before turned and running for the door. Daryl helped me to my feet as we made our way closer to the doors she'd run out of, only to stop dead in our tracks when the car that I knew belonged to the people at the hospital came out of nowhere and hit her.

It's not easy to hold a _big_ man back, but I had my arms wrapped around Daryl's neck and shoulders as he fought against me to try and get to the red headed girl that now lay on the ground. "Wait," I said as I heard him repeat one word, "they can help her." "Let go of me," he shouted as I pulled him back towards another wall so we could hide. "They can _help_ her Daryl," I said once we reached a wall to hide behind that still gave us a good view, "they're the only ones who can. They've got medicine, machines, and a doctor. We'll get her back, but she needs their help first."

**DARYL'S POV**

I watched, helpless, as two men got out of the car that'd hit Kat. They looked around before picking her up and putting her on a gurney and carrying her to the back of their car. "We'll get her back," the kid whispered again, "we'll get Beth back." "What's it going to take," I asked, feeling my heart seem to squeeze at the sight of the car driving off, my girl unconscious in the back. "A lot," Noah said as I looked at him, "they got guns. People." "So do we," I said as he looked up at me before I waved for him to follow me. We were going to head back, get the rest of my group to get my girl and Beth back. I wasn't going to leave her with them people for longer than I had to.


	91. Beth

**RICK'S POV**

I looked to Michonne as we set to work in securing the church. Daryl had arrived back late last night with some boy, informing us on what had happened to Kathryn in the city. When I looked to Michonne, she was looking off to my left. Looking over my shoulder, I realized she was looking at Carl. "He wants to go to Atlanta," I said before looking back to her, "but I can't have that." "Then stay," she said, "I'll go in your place." "I can't," I said shaking my head, "that's my daughter."

"She's Carl's sister too you know," she said, "he wants to help get her back." "But I need him here to look after Judy," I said before glancing back over at Carl, "we're only taking a few people and Daryl's already said he's going. Well he _has_ to anyway since he knows where we're going." "You taking that boy with you," she asked. I glanced over her shoulder to where Daryl and the kid he'd came back with were standing. "He knows these people best," I said nodding. "Just make sure you come back _with_ her," Michonne said before we went in to finish getting ready.

**DARYL'S POV**

We'd finished fortifying the church and were saying our goodbyes. I watched as Rick hugged Carl in the door. "Bring her back Dad," he said when he pulled away from Rick and looked up at him. "We'll bring them _both_ back," Rick said nodding before turning and walking out to join me and the others who were going to head back to Atlanta to get both Beth and Kat back from the people at the Hospital that had them.

It was just five of us going; Rick, Sasha, Tyreese, Noah, and myself. We had to leave Lil Ass-Kicker, Carl, Carol, and Michonne behind with the preacher because we couldn't take the little one with us and Rick didn't want to loose anymore children. I sat in the driver's seat, Rick beside me in the passenger's seat, as we headed back to Atlanta. I glanced over Rick as we drove, I could see the worry there on his face in regards to his daughter. "We'll get her back," I said causing him to look at me, "we'll get them both back and our group will be complete again."

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I could hear a faint sound, it sounded like a ticking clock. I felt completely _numb_ as I sat in the blackness that surrounded me. I barely remembered what happened before I found myself here. Through the numbness, I could feel one thing that gave away that I was not yet dead, a _needle_ in my arm. The more the clock ticked, the more I began to feel my surroundings again. And slowly the heavy weight that'd been holding my eyes closed was lifting its hold. The ticking got louder as I slowly awoke, drowsy and disoriented. I felt myself move my head, my eyes trying to open but quickly shutting because it seemed too _bright_ even with the lights off.

I could hear shuffling somewhere in the room with me before something grabbled my left hand. "Kathryn," a small and seemingly far away voice called out, "are you awake?" I groaned in response before trying to open my eyes again, and this time succeding in keeping them open. All I could see so far were blurry shapes, but slowly my vision cleared, and standing there before me was my friend from the farm, _Beth_.


	92. The Proposal

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I gave Beth a pointed look before I looked down at the needle still stuck in my arm. I didn't care if it was important for it to still be there, I wanted it _gone_. Without me really having to say a word, she quickly understood what the look was for and moved to remove the needle. Once it was gone, I quickly lifted my arms up and hugged her tightly, so happy to see her. "How did you end up here," she asked looking at me as I pulled away from the hug. She kept my hand in her good one, squeezing it and causing me to squeeze back.

"Me and Daryl were looking for you," I said looking at her, "we were with everyone else that had survived since the prison." " _Everyone_ ," she asked hopeful. "Your sister," I said smiling as her smile grew, "Glenn, Dad, Carl, Tyreese, Sasha, Bob, Carol, Daryl, Judy, and Michonne. Me and Daryl had taken a walk from everyone after we'd all just got out of a bad predicament and Daryl spotted a car like the one he'd seen that had took you." "Where _is_ Daryl," Beth asked after a second.

"I don't know to be honest," I said with a sad sigh, "I ran ahead of him and a boy, Noah?" "You found Noah," Beth asked excitedly. "Yeah," I said nodding, "it was him who confirmed that you were _here_. I can only hope Daryl and Noah got back to the group to get help." "I'm sure they did," Beth said with a smile, "Daryl would do _anything_ if it was dealing with you." "Don't sell yourself short Beth," I said smiling, "he'd do anything for _anyone_ in this group. Look how long he's been looking for _you_." "If you say so," she said before looking away.

Beth left shortly after the conversation, leaving me to my thoughts and hopes. I couldn't really get out of bed, my leg hurt like a bitch. But I was grateful that it wasn't broken, it'd probably become a problem if it had been, especially with the world now. Looking around the room, I took in the machines that were sat beside me, silent. They must have had them hooked up to me before I woke up. I wasn't really sure of how much time had passed while I was unconscious here, but I figured Daryl and Noah should be getting close with help, if they made it back to the church anyway.

**RICK'S POV**

I stood at the top of a parking garage back in Atlanta, waiting for the people we were supposed to meet when I heard over the radio that they were coming. I stood there watching, as an Atlanta police car pulled up in front of me with two men in side. "Officer Franco," I said holding my hands up once it'd stopped and they climbed out with their guns aimed at me, "Officer McGinley. I'm Rick Grimes. I was a deputy in the King County Sheriff's Department. I'm here to make a proposal."

"Lay your weapon on the ground," one said after he looked to his partner. "Alright," I said before slowly taking my Python out and laying it on the ground. Once it was down, I stood back up before turning to show that I wasn't hiding any other weapons from them. "What's your proposal," the other one asked when they were satisfied that I wasn't hiding anything from them. "You have two of my people and I have two of yours," I said after lowering my hands, "we want to make an exchange. Then we'll be on our way. No one gets hurt."

"Who," they asked, watching me. "Officers Shephard," I said, "and Licari for Beth and Kathryn." I watched as they both gave me a confused look before I decided to continue. "You picked up a girl yesterday," I said, "a red head that your people hit with a car." One looked to his partner before he spoke up. "Noah," he said seeming to figure something out, "he's with you? That's how you know?" "Yes he is," I said with a nod. "What about Officer Lamson," he asked. "He was attacked by the dead before we got to him," I said looking at both men in front of me.

I looked behind them to see a walker slowly making it's way towards us before the one to my right spoke up again. "Where are your people," he asked, I guess having finally realized I appeared to be alone. Just before I could answer, Sasha fired and hit the walker in the head from the vantage point they had, causing the two before me to jump and start to look around panicked. "They're around," I said as if nothing had happened just now, "radio your lieutenant. I'll wait."

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I hadn't been left alone long in that room before Beth came back in with someone else who was staying in this hospital. She looked at me with a faint smile. She was dressed in regular clothes unlike the scrubs I'd seen her in when I first woke up in this room. She stepped aside and allowed the man dressed like a doctor to walk over to me and help me into the wheel chair he brought into the room. Once I was seated, he pushed me out of the room before allowing Beth to take over, pushing me down the hallways towards a group of people dressed as cops.

Confused, I looked up to Beth as we came to a stop behind the group. She kept her eyes ahead of us so I just decided to look back ahead in time to see the cops before us holster their guns. The woman directly in the center and front of us spoke into her radio, telling whoever was on the other side of the doors to holster their own weapons. After a few minutes, the doors opened and four other officers walked in. But what had my attention was the people behind them, _our_ people.


	93. Nightmares and Mourning

**KATHRYN'S POV**

_I watched as two of the officers that were with our group walked back to where I sat in the wheel chair with Beth behind me. The others that had been in front of us moved so that she could push me forwards until we were completely in view of Dad and the others. "They haven't been harmed," Dad called out to the woman who was in charge here at the hospital. I looked up at her before turning my attention back to Dad, noticing Daryl in the back slightly who had his eyes on only me._

_"One of yours for one of mine," I heard the woman say from beside me. I looked up at here again and watched as she waited to see what Dad would do. "Alright," Dad agreed before looking to Daryl who pushed the officer in front of him towards us. I felt the chair I was in move before looking up to realize it wasn't_ Beth _who was pushing me. I turned my attention back to Daryl as he stood there waiting halfway down the hall before the guy pushing me stopped and grabbed his partner's arm before walking off. "You alright," Daryl asked in a whisper behind me as he pushed me back to the others._

_"Yeah," I whispered before reaching up with my hand and placing it gently on his just as we reached the others. I smiled up at Dad before we moved off to the side so that Dad could finish the deal. As Dad walked down the hallway with the last cop, Daryl helped me up out of the chair and kept his arm wrapped around me. I watched as the final move of the deal went down without a problem, and beth was back with us. But as we went to turn around and leave, that woman spoke up again. "Now all I need is Noah," she said._

_"That wasn't part of the deal," Dad said walking up to her. "Noah was my ward," she said unphased, "I'm losing Beth. So I want him back." I looked to the guy as he walked up to Dad, Beth following behind before he spoke up saying it was okay. I watched, shaking my head. From what Beth told me, he wanted to escape so he could get back home. So why give it all up now? Especially for a bunch of strangers. "It's not okay," I whispered as I hopped forward still in Daryl's arms as he moved forward too._

_I stood there watching helplessly as everything seemed to go downhill, fast. Noah walked up to that woman, going with her almost willingly if it wasn't for the fact that he really wanted to go home. Beth ran up to him, hugging him before lifting her head to look at that woman again before moving to stand before her. "Beth what are you doing," I whispered more to myself than anything, but I know Daryl heard me as he squeezed my waist. I never caught what Beth said to her before the sound of a gunshot went off. Daryl dropped me to the floor the second Beth fell, shooting the woman who now had a pair of scissors in her shoulder._

I bolted up right, my pulse pounding in my ears as I looked around, my surroundings finally reaching my eyes as they adjusted to the dark. That dream, no _nightmare_ , was of the events that'd happened three weeks ago. I've had them every night since, which is why I sleep alone, only just _barely_ in eye sight of who was on watch that night. Daryl's distanced himself since Beth's death and I can't blame him. Hell, _I'm_ taking it hard too. I sat up from where I was sleeping, determining sleep would be impossible now. Damn, today was going to be a long day.

Everyone was suffering by the time we were on our way again. We'd lost Tyreese not too long after Beth, and so Sasha had tunnel vision and wanted to kill every walker in sight. We were low on supplies, and Dad thought it wise to just wait until the time was right. Daryl kept wandering off, I'd hope to find supplies, but I knew otherwise. I'd only seen him cry once, and I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was trying _hard_ not to cry in front of everyone.

**DARYL'S** **POV**

We were getting lower and lower on supplies the longer we walked. Glenn tried to get me to drink some water, going on about how we could _only_ survive together. I wanted to be alone right now so I just walked off into the woods to find me a place to sit and think. I'd be able to catch up with everyone when I was ready. As I walked through the woods, I came across this old abandoned barn, not too far from everyone else. Figuring this was good enough, I sat down next to a tree, lighting one of the last cigarettes I had on me before taking a hit from it.

I looked down at the tattoo I had on my hand, in the webbing between my thumb and fore finger, before taking the cigarette from my mouth and putting it out right there on the tattoo. I felt numb, I didn't even feel the burn from it. But as I dropped the now extingushed cigarette to the ground, everything that'd ahppened hit me all at once. I looked up at the sky as the tears slowly started to slip down my face. I didn't even move when I heard footsteps walking up behind me moments before a pair of arms wrapped around my shoulders.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I don't care if he didn't want me to follow him, I did anyway. I stood back watching what he did, but when he started crying, I felt myself walk over to him and wrap my arms so that my left arm was under his left arm and my right arm was over his right shoulder. I placed my head on his shoulder, just sitting there and holding him as he finally lifted his arm up and placed his hand on mine. "Did you mean what you said," he finally whispered in a hoarse voice, "back in Atlanta when we were in that van?"

"Yes," I whispered without lifting my head. We sat in more silence before I lifted my head up and looked at him from where I was, chin resting on his shoulder. "Daryl what _happened_ between you and Beth before you found me," I asked before watching him turn to look at me. I'd never force him to tell me, but I couldn't curve my curiosity on what had happened the few days I wasn't around.


	94. From A Friend

**DARYL'S POV**

"When it was just me and Beth," I started out as Kat kept her arms around me, "I thought I'd finally lost you. She was the only comfort I had." "Define _comfort_ ," Kat said, I could feel her pulling away from me slightly. "Not the way you're thinkin'," I said placing my hand on top of her arms that were still around my neck to keep her from moving away. I felt her loosen up before looking over my shoulder to see her blue eyes staring at me as she waited for me to continue.

"There's not much really to tell," I said as I let her continue to hold me, "she was there to distract me from the dark thoughts that were clouding my mind. I owe her for keeping me alive. And yet I couldn't do the same for her." I lowered my head as the blame hit me again, but felt Kat's arms tighten around me as she placed her forehead on my shoulder. "You can't blame yourself Daryl," she whispered, "you couldn't have known she'd pull what she did and get herself shot in the head."

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

It took a little more convincing on my part, but I finally seemed to get Daryl calmed down enough where he could return to the group without them realizing that he'd been crying. Although I don't think it'd fool anyone because it was obvious that he was torn up about her death. Daryl and I walked back up to the road everyone was on, only to find them surrounding something in the middle of the road. Looking at Daryl confused, I followed after him as we walked up to Dad who had a piece of paper in his hand.

I watched as he handed it to Daryl, while I came to a stop just to his left. _From a friend_ it read as I looked at it from beside him. I looked to Daryl confused as he pulled off his crossbow before I turned my attention to Dad and the others. "No one saw who left it," I asked confused. "No," Dad said as we all began looking around and debating on what to do with the water that had been left a little _too_ conveniently. One minute we were talking about just leaving it and the next I watched as Abraham knocked it out of Eugene's hand.

I looked over at Carl as they talked more, noticing that little Judy was fussing. "Here I'll take her," I said with a smile as he handed her over to me. I started lightly bouncing her before the sound of distant thunder reached my ears. "Y'all hear that," I asked as I looked around at everyone before we all looked up at the sky. As we watched the clouds move overhead, it seemed as if the bottom had fallen out. It started _pouring_ down on us as everyone seemed to relish in the downpour.

It felt absolutely _amazing_ , the cool rain hitting my skin after how hot it'd been. I couldn't help but lean my head back and open my mouth, allowing some of the rain water to run down my dry throat. When I finally righted myself to where I wasn't leaning back anymore, I looked over to Carl who stood beside me and started laughing when I realized he was doing the same thing I'd done. When I turned my attention to everyone else, I watched as they began digging things out to fill up with the rain water.

**DARYL'S** **POV**

Everyone around me was either enjoying the rain, or grabbing containers to fill up. I just looked around, seeing a smile on Kat's face as she held her little sister in her arms. But as the thunder started getting louder, Judith started crying. The storm was getting worse by the second, and when I glanced at Kat again, she no longer had a smile on her face. We could tell this storm was just going to get worse. "Let's keep moving," I heard Rick say after looking towards the direction the storm was coming from.

I looked over at Kat, her eyes instantly meeting with mine. "Daryl we won't make it out in this storm," she said, fear making it's way to shadow over her blue eyes. "There's a barn," I shouted out to Rick as I got his attention. "Where," he asked. "This way," Kat said nodding towards the direction we'd come from, "we found it earlier." "Lead the way," he said motioning with his hands for me and her to lead. I turned and took the lead, Kat following behind me as we made our way back to where she'd met up with me when I tried to get some time alone to attempt to grieve.


	95. The Walking Dead

**KATHRYN'S POV**

The wind outside howled as it blew around the barn we were hunkered down in. When we cleared this place, there had only been one walker inside which made it easier on us. Now we sat inside, some of us around a small fire while others were by themselves. It was me, Dad, Daryl, Glenn, Michonne, and Carol all around the small fire. I was leaning back against Daryl's chest as I sat between his legs, looking over at where Carl was sound asleep with Judy next to him on the ground. I felt Daryl shift around me before I turned my attention back to the others I was sitting with.

I watched as he leaned forward slightly, pushing me forward with him, before grabbing a piece of wood and dropping it down beside the small fire. "It's too wet," he said with a sigh as he relaxed behind me and allowed me to get comfortable once more. I looked over at Dad to see him give me a small smile before my attention turned to see Glenn with this _massive_ grin on his face. "What are you thinking over there Glenn," I said eyeing him as I waited for his answer. "Oh _nothing_ ," he said as his grin stayed in place, "just thinking about how much you and Daryl seem to be comfortable with each other now."

"Shut up," I said grabbing a small stick and tossing it towards him. I watched as he let out a small laugh before I sat back against Daryl once more, his legs bent at the knees as he rest his arms over them. I grabbed the hand I had watched him burn earlier, looking down at the small cigarette burn on the webbing of skin between his thumb and index finger. I could feel his eyes on the back of my head as I used my free hand to trace the burn with my finger. When I glanced over at Dad after a moment, I could see him looking at where Carl and Judith were.

**RICK'S POV**

I looked back at everyone after I turned away from Carl, finding Kathryn's eyes on me from where she sat with Daryl. "I used to feel sorry for kids that had to grow up in this," I said, "you Kathryn, your brother Carl and now your little sister Judy. But I think I got it wrong. Growing up is getting _used_ to the world. This is easier for _them_." "This isn't the world," Kathryn said shaking her head. "It isn't," Michonne said agreeing with her. I watched as Glenn looked over to where Maggie was laying by herself, before he turned back to look at all of us. "It might be," he said as he looked into the fire.

"That's giving up," Kathryn said as she leant forwards, away from Daryl and grabbing ahold of Glenn's wrist. "It's reality," he said as he looked back at her. "Until we see otherwise," I said as she looked back to me and sat back once more, "this is what we have to live with." I looked around at everyone, watching as Kathryn sat back against Daryl and got comfortable in his arms. He seemed to hesitate for a second before he wrapped them around her once again as she rested her head back on his chest with her eyes closed.

**DARYL'S POV**

I listened as Rick went into this story of when he was younger. How he'd ask his grandfather about the war. I wouldn't be surprised if Kat had heard this story of his at least _once_ before. I looked down at her once, her eyes closed but I could tell she wasn't asleep. Ever since we'd left Atlanta after Beth, she hasn't been falling asleep so easily like she used to. I snapped my attention back to Rick as he finished up the story he was telling. "And that's the trick of it I think," he said before looking around, "we do what we need to do and then we get to live."

I felt Kat shift in my arms, and when I looked down, she was staring at her Dad as we all waited for him to finish what he had to say. "No matter what we find in DC," he said, "I know we'll be okay. Because _this_ is how we survive. We tell ourselves that _we_ are the walking dead." "No," I said after a few minutes as I shook my head, "we ain't them." He looked over at me as I gently pushed Kat up so I could get to my feet, watching as she stood too and followed me away from the others.


	96. After the Storm

**KATHRYN'S POV**

Last night had been rough. Daryl and I had walked off to talk alone, figure out what we were going to do when we made it to DC. But before we could get comfortable enough to talk, we ended up noticing something _strange_ outside. As the doors opened and closed from the wind, I could see something outside that didn't seem right. When I looked over to Daryl, I realized he'd seen the same thing and had made it way slowly over to the door to peer out as it opened once again. His immediate reaction to it is what had me on edge.

"Kat get over here," he shouted as he pushed the doors closed as fast as possible and attempted to try and tighten the chain holding the door closed. Not asking any questions, I quickly ran over to him, placing my back against the other door just as I felt something slam into it from the otherside. Giving Daryl a confused look, he quickly turned around to copy my stance before he spoke. "It's a herd," he said over the growing sound of the winds. "I don't think that's our only problem," I said as I looked up to the roof of the barn as the sound of the wind whistling got louder and worse.

**DARYL'S POV**

I looked over at Kat, I could tell she was scared. Before I could say anything, people in the group slowly started to notice that _something_ wasn't right with what Kat and me were doing. One by one, everyone began making their way to help hold the doors closed. Kat still had her back pushed against the doors when I moved to stand over her, my arms above her head as I pushed against the door as I looked down at her. It'd been a _long_ time since I'd seen her look this scared about something, and I couldn't really do much to put her at ease. All I could do was hold on and hope for the best, just like her.

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I don't remember much of what happened after everyone joined us by the back doors to the barn. But I do remember locking eyes with Daryl as the wind howled, hesitating for only a second, before quickly pushing forwards and kissing him out of fear that I wouldn't be able to by morning. When the wind stopped howling and we couldn't hear anymore of the groaning from the walkers, we slowly began falling asleep. Daryl and I were the first to awake when the sun slowly made its way through the cracks in the barn, Dad woke shortly after.

Out of so many times of going hunting with Daryl, it became a habit to be up before everyone else. As we stood to our feet and moved away from everyone else, I couldn't help but walk over to Dad as he stood away from us, and wrapped my arms around his waste and placed my head on his shoulders. We didn't say anything, he just wrapped his arms around me and hugged me back just as tightly as I was hugging him. "It's okay," I heard Dad whisper as he placed a small kiss at the top of my head like he used to do when I was younger, "we're okay now."

"Kat," Daryl said to get my attention, "let's go out and check out the damage." "Okay," I said with a nod before pulling away from Dad. I looked over to Daryl and watched as he bent down to pick up his crossbow before looking back to me to make sure I was following behind. We slowly made our way outside, on alert for any noise that we might hear that we shouldn't. When it was pretty clear that we weren't going to be ambushed, we walked on out and looked around before spying the path of what obviously belonged to a tornado.

I watched as Daryl glanced at the path for a moment before turning and walking on, his crossbow resting on his shoulder. I followed behind as we scoped out the area, following the path of the damage. We didn't stay out long, at least I didn't think we did. When we got back, the barn was quiet. More than it should be with people hiding out in it. I looked to Daryl before we both made our way towards the doors with our weapons in hand. When we walked inside, no one was there except Dad, Judith, and someone who had their back to us.

We lowered our weapons as Dad looked over at our entrance. "What's going on," I asked as we stepped a little closer before the person who was sitting on the ground finally looked over at us. I stopped, dead in my tracks, when the familiar face came into my eye sight. "Kat," I heard Daryl whisper after he ran into me, obviously not expecting me to stop like that so suddenly. "What the hell Dad," I called out before running to where my last living relative was sitting on the ground with his hands tied behind his back.


	97. Aaron

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"He's been following us," Dad said as I reached the person tied up, "keeping tabs on us." "He's my _cousin_ ," I said as I glared up at Dad before looking back to Aaron as I untied his wrists. "Hey Kit-Kat," he said smiling up at me and hugging me once his hands were free. " _Kit-Kat_ ," I heard Daryl's voice from behind me, causing me to pull away from Aaron and look towards him. "First time I was introduced to him," I said as a blush slowly formed on my cheeks, "I may have had one of those Kit-Kat bars in my hand."

"And when I learned her name it just sort of stuck," Aaron said before wrapping me in a hug again, "where's your mom?" My smile faltered as I stepped back from Aaron and looked to my feet. "She died," I said, "some time ago when we were at this prison." "I'm sorry Kathryn," Aaron said before silence settled in over the barn. The only sound to be heard was from Judy in Dad's arms. I gave a small smile at her in Dad's arm before walking over and taking her from him.

**DARYL'S** **POV**

"Where is everyone," I asked as I glanced away from Kat holding her baby sister. "Couple people went to investigate his claim on there being a car big enough for all of us," he said as he eyed Kat's cousin, "the others are waiting just in ear shot." "Why do you keep acting like Aaron's a _bad_ guy," Kat asked as she walked over to where we stood. "It's alright Kathryn," Aaron said giving her a small smile, "your dad's being cautious. Besides he never got to meet me before all of this."

"How long are they going to be gone," I asked, taking the attention off of the stranger and looking to Rick. "Supposed to be 60 minutes," Rick said as he looked around, "they should be back soon though unless what he said was a lie and they ran into trouble." "I can't believe what I'm hearing," Kat said as she turned around and walked towards the back of the barn where there was a table full of stuff. "Rick if it'll make you feel any better," Aaron said causing me and Rick to look at him, "you can tie me back up." I looked over to Rick in time to see him indeed walking back over to Aaron and tying him back up before pushing him back to the ground.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I don't know how long it'd been since Daryl and I returned before we all heard the sound of approaching cars. Jumping up, I ran to the doors in time to see our group members who'd gone out to check out the vehicles climbing out and walking to us. I felt Daryl walk up behind me before I glanced up at him with a smile. Returning the smile he stepped outside and gave a whistle for the members who'd been hiding. I stood back out of the way when I realized the ones coming from the RV had their hands full with all kinds of canned goods.

I watched, amazed, as they finally finished stacking the canned items on the table at the back of the barn. I could feel my eyes seeming like they'd grown two sizes with seeing so much food after having so little lately. I zoned out as I stared at the food, faintly hearing my dad and the others discuss going with Aaron to wherever it was he was staying at that had all this food. "We're not going," I heard Dad say before I finally snapped back to reality.

"Dad think about Judith," I said looking over at him. "I _am_ thinking about her," he said turning to face me. "By turning down some place that's _safe_ ," I said glaring at him, "and protected." "Listen to your daughter Rick," Aaron said as he looked from Dad to me then back to Dad again. "We need this," Michonne said as she looked at everyone and then finally Dad, "so we're going. All of us." I watched Dad as he seemed to hesitate before finally agreeing, but not before saying that me, Carl, and Judy were riding with the others while he, Glenn, and Michonne rode with Aaron. Deciding not to argue, I nodding as we all began packing things into the RV.

Dad decided we'd leave at night, saying it'd be better for the group. Aaron tried to talk him into leaving sooner but Dad wouldn't hear of it. As he was walking him to the back of the car, I ran over to them and stopped them. "I hope when we get back to wherever it is you're staying at then we'll get to hang out some," I said before kissing his cheek. "I'd like that Kit-Kat," he said smiling, "it's well over due." I smiled and turned, walking back over to where Daryl was standing. "Let's get outta here," he said, "I think I'm starting to smell like horse shit from this barn."


	98. Eric

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I sat in the back of the RV as it drove down the dark road, Judith in my arms as I tried to get her to sleep. As I was ligthly rocking her, I could hear footsteps quietly making their way to the back where I was. When I looked up, I spied Daryl walking back to me. Carefully, I lifted one hand away from her and raised a finger to my mouth to tell him to keep quiet. He nodded before he sat down on the bed next to me. "Is he _really_ your cousin," he asked in a hushed voice.

"Yes he is," I said as I peered up at him. "Then why didn't your dad know him," he asked. When I looked up he was giving me a stern look. "Because when I finally got to meet him," I said with a sigh, "Dad and Mom were divorced and she was staying with Aaron's parents. That's how I got to meet him." "Sorry," Daryl said as I watched him lower his head. I gave a small smile and reached over with my free hand. As I opened my mouth to say something, I was cut off by shouting up from and then sudden jerking from the RV.

"The hell's goin' on," Daryl shouted as we quickly made our way back to the front. Judy had started crying from being woken up and I was trying to settle her when we got to where we could see. "Where are they," I said panicked when I didn't see the car ahead and we'd stop, " _where are they_?!" "We lost them in a herd," Abraham said as we all peered out the front windshield. I was bouncing the crying Judy in my arms, trying to calm myself down as well as settle her down when something caught my eye. "What's that," I said stepping forwards and pointing towards the sky.

**RICK'S POV**

Needing the extra hands after the car was overrun from the herd of walkers, I thought it'd be better to just leave Aaron untied for now. If the time came to it, I knew we could take care of the problem. We followed the flare we'd seen, on the road Aaron had wanted us to go down to start with, keeping an eye out for any sort of danger. As we walked, we came across a small town. Figuring this might be the best place to look for the others, I started whistling a tune we'd agreed would be used to help find each other if we got seperated.

Hearing a reply whistle in return, we ran down an ally. At the end of it, I saw someone run out waving their hand before realizing it was Daryl. As he greeted us at the end, the others started running out. "Dad," I heard Carl's voice before he ran up to me, wrapping me in a hug. "Your sisters okay," I asked as I pulled away to look at him. "Yeah," he said with a smile, "we're all okay." "Eric," I heard Aaron call from beside me before he got a reply from inside. He ran in, pushing past the others in his rush.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"So Aaron's told you about me," I asked smiling as I helped make sure Eric's foot was okay. "Only recently," he said smiling, "when we found the group and he spotted you walking amongst them." I smiled and went to open my mouth to say something but was stopped by the sound of running feet. Looking over my shoulder, I smiled when I spied Aaron. "Eric," he said, seemingly out of breath. "I'm okay," Eric said smiling, "it's like a vollyball injury." "He has a broken ankle," I said standing to my feet as he walked over, "a car rolled over his ankle when he was trying to hide."

"At least that's what Maggie said," Eric said from behind me, "I like her. And your cousin here." "He told me you were talking about me when you first found our group," I said smiling, watching as a blush creeped up on Aaron's face. As the blush slowly faded, I watched a serious and worried look appear on his face. "I'll leave you two alone now," I said before reaching down and giving Eric's hand a squeeze before walking by Aaron. I gave him a small smile before I walked out of the room.

"Daddy," I said once I walked out of the room and spied him standing, looking around for something. "There you are," he said walking over to me and hugging me, "are you alright?" "I'm fine Dad," I said smiling, "we weren't the ones who got hurt. It was Aaron's partner, Eric. Dad? Where are you going?" I watched as he pulled away from me, walking towards the room I'd just left out of. Confused, I watched him disappear inside before turning my attention to where Glenn and Maggie were, walking towards them both so I could hug Glenn too.

I was standing with Glenn and Maggie, whispering with Glenn about what happened, when Aaron came walking out. "Excuse me," he said as he looked around at all of us, "everyone. Thank you. You saved Eric. I owe you. _All_ of you." "You don't," I said walking forwards and hugging him tightly. "No I _do_ ," he said as I pulled away but kept one arm around him, "and I will make sure that debt is paid in full when we get to our community. When we get to Alexandria. Now I'm not sure about you, but I'd rather not do any more driving tonight. Start back first thing in the morning."

"That sounds fine," Dad said causing me to look back at him and smile, "but you're sleeping over there." "We don't need to do that Dad," I said crossing my arms. "We don't know him," he said looking at me. " _I_ know him," I said glaring, "besides, Eric told us where their camp is. And we're going there first thing in the morning." I watched and waited as he decided on what his answer would be. "Alright," Dad finally said, "everyone get some rest. We're leaving first thing in the morning." I smiled before turning my attention to where Daryl stood, catching him giving me a pointed look. I simply shrugged before walking away to find somewhere to sleep.


	99. Alexandria

**KATHRYN'S POV**

When we woke up the next morning, we got everything together and began packing up to leave. Dad dove the car with Carl, Judy, and Michonne while I opted to stay with Daryl and Aaron in the RV. Aaron was in the back with Eric as we drove down the road, headed for what he called home, _Alexandria_. I was sitting next to Daryl one one of the sofa seats in the front, my legs pulled up to my chest with my arms around them to hold them to me, Daryl with his arm across the back of the seat behind my head.

"Never thought I'd be able to see y'all both openly sitting together like that," Maggie said causing me to look up in time to see her smile, "it's nice." "It's _weird_ ," I said with a smile before glancing at Daryl, "I'm so used to hiding it. But since Dad found out, hiding _us_ just hasn't seemed all that important. And it's funny to think that in the end, I would've had both of my parent's approval." My smile that I had before seemed to falter as I thought about Mom, and how much I missed her.

"Oh sweetie," Maggie said moving to hug me as I felt Daryl shift slightly so she could. "I'm going to go check on Aaron and Eric," I said standing to my feet. "Hey Kathryn," Noah voice called out to me and caused me to turn to him, "take these with you." I took the bottle of pain pills from him with a small smile before turning and walking down the small hallway towards the back. When I reached the door, Aaron was just sitting there and staring at Eric. Taking a deep breath to rid myself of the thoughts of Mom, I knocked on the wall by the door to get his attention.

"Yeah," he said looking up at me as I smiled and rattled the pill bottle and water, "oh, I know it's time for another dose but I just thought that I'd let him sleep til we got home." "They're for you," I whispered before walking in and sitting beside him, "I noticed the serious rope burns on your wrists. I know they must hurt." "Thank you," he said as he took the pills from me. I smiled at him before leaning my head onto his shoulder and looking over at Eric. "Did you meet him before or after the change," I asked.

**DARYL'S POV**

Kat stayed in the back with Aaron and Eric the rest of the time we were on the road, well until we stopped because of a dead battery. We were all sitting outside the RV and car, watching as Abraham seemed to be fuming over us not catching a break. But I didn't miss the knowing look shared between her and Glenn before he walked over to where Abraham was. Kat watched from beside me with an amused smirk on her face as Glenn showed Abraham where to find the battery we needed to get the RV back on the road.

"How'd you know that was there," Abraham asked once he found the spare battery. "Dale showed us with the RV he had," Kat said from beside me, gaining Abraham's attention. He gave her a dumbfounded look before looking back to Glenn as he moved with the new battery in his hands. "Shouldn't be too much longer now," Rick said as he walked to stand next to me and Kat, "be there by noon from the looks of it." "I'll be glad for the change of pace," Kat said with a sigh, "I'm missing the safety of a stable home."

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I decided to ride with Dad, Carl, Judy, and Michonne when we got back onto the road. It was quiet for the rest of the trip, as we were all lost in thought about what was going to happen when we got to Alexandria. I _trusted_ Aaron, more than I did with anyone else on a first meeting basis. He'd never shown me a reason to not trust him, so it did upset me when Dad didn't seem to trust him. But I was snapped out of my thoughts as the front gate to a community came into view ahead of us.

When Dad parked, I looked back to see everyone walking out of the RV and making their way closer to us. While they sat there deciding on if we were _actually_ going to stay here, I climbed out of the back seat of the car. I smiled at Daryl as he made his way over behind everyone else. Aaron and Eric hobbled by before I went to stand next to Daryl, him instantly wrapping his arm around me. When Dad climbed out finally and picked up Judith from the back seat, Daryl removed his arm before holding his crossbow at the ready.

Just as the front gate began to open, Aaron and Eric walking on through, a rattling noise came from behind us and caused everyone to jump and aim their guns as they waited for the threat. As the trash can toppled over by us, the evident _threat_ turned out to be an opossum, which Daryl gladly decided it was to become dinner. I shook my head with a small smirk as we all began to relax when we turned back to see someone else standing with Aaron. "We brought dinner," Daryl said from beside me. And I couldn't resist rolling my eyes at the remark.


	100. First Impression

**KATHRYN'S POV**

We had followed Aaron further inside after they'd closed the gates, headed to this woman named Deanna so that we could talk to her. When we came to the first house here, we all waited outside while Dad went in first. When I glanced over towards a window to this house after I'd sat down next to Daryl with Judy in my arms, I noticed an older looking woman standing there looking right at me. Furrowing my brows, I watched as she stood there and stared a moment longer before turning and walking away from the window.

"What's wrong," Daryl asked, catching my attention and obviously noticing that my mind was elsewhere. "Nothing," I said shaking my head and looking at him with a smile. He gave me a look that said he didn't belive me but didn't push the subject further. I smiled down at my little sister as she smiled at me in my arms. I felt someone draw closer and when I looked over my shoulder, Daryl was leaning towards us and smiling down at Judy as he reached forwards to her to tickle her.

As Daryl tickled her while she was in my arms, I heard movement from behind us. "Kathryn," came my dad's voice, "your turn." "Okay," I said smiling up at him before standing with Judith in my arms. I walked past him as he smiled down at Judith as we passed, before walking on inside and finding Deanna in what I guess was her study. "I'm Deanna Monroe," she said giving me a smile. "Kathryn Grimes," I replied with a polite nod. "Do you mind if I film this," she asked before stepping behind a video camera that I hadn't noticed before.

"I guess not," I said with a shrug. She nodded before pressing a button on the camera and walking around to have a seat on a couch. Following suit, I sat down in the chair that was positioned directly in front of the camera. "She's a beautiful baby," Deanna said after a few moments. "Thank you," I said with a smile as I looked down at her. "I've noticed in the few moments that you've been in these gates that you're closer to one person in your group than anyone else," she said causing my head to snap up, "are you and him together in some way?"

"No," I said shaking my head, "I've been in the group with him since the beginning of all this. When you've been around someone that long, you tend to get close." She gave me a skeptical look before looking to Judy in my arms again. "She yours," she asked before lifting her eyes back to look at me. "Is that what you _think_ of me," I asked as I felt my jaw damn near hit the floor, "this interview is over." I didn't wait for her to turn the camera off before I was on my feet and storming out of the study.

**DARYL'S POV**

I could hear Judith's cries come closer before a _furious_ looking Kat came out of the front door. Rick went over, taking his infant daughter from Kat's hands before attempting to ask what was wrong. When she didn't answer and only continued to storm on by, I gave Rick a nod when he looked to me. Standing to my feet, I watched as she ran off before I started walking after her to see if maybe I could find out what was bothering her.

I lost sight of her as she ran around the corner to the house. When I rounded the corner, she was just _gone_. I paused in my step, listening for any signs of life before I heard an angry groan reached my ears. Heading in the direction of the sound, I found Kat sitting next to the fence with her head in her hands. As I walked up to her, I didn't say anything, just made myself comfortable and sat down next to her and waited.

"Do I _seem_ like the kind of girl who just spreads my legs for any man and possibly end up with a child from the action," she asked after a moment or two as she finally raised her head and looked over at me, "is that what people see in me?" "What are you talking about," I asked, giving her a confused look. "That Deanna in there asked me if there was something between me and you," she said with a sigh, "then she went and asked if Judy was mine." "What'd you tell her," I asked watching her.

"Well it's none of her business right now as to if there's something between us," she said looking up at me, "when the time comes then _sure_ she can find out. But I saw that look she gave me earlier before my interview, I don't think she'd be too pleased to hear." "Fuck her," I said looking down at her, "let her think what she wants. Didn't we already go through something like this before with your family?" "Speaking of family," she said with a sheepish look, "I haven't exactly told Aaron yet. Haven't figured out how to, but I will! Oh and I'm staying with him and Eric tonight."


	101. Settling In

**KATHRYN'S POV**

Let me tell you, Daryl was _not_ happy that I only just told him that I was going to Aaron's and Eric's for the night once we were all settled in. I was probably going to head over sooner than that, to see about helping him with anything he'd need. For now, while everyone else was waiting by the first house we'd been in since arriving, I was was following my family to see what house we were given. We were stopped in front of not one but _two_ houses at the end of the small street in the community.

"Both of them," Dad asked as he looked over to Aaron. "They're yours to do whatever you'd like with," he said smiling at us, "but I'd choose that one. Has more curb appeal." "Of course you'd say that," I said rolling my eyes before smiling at him. He returned my smile before looking back to Dad who stood beside him. "Listen," he said getting serious, "I know you're still feeling us out, but I'm glad you came. Anyway Deanna's asked everyone to give you your space so they aren't all coming at you at once. If you need anything, I'm four houses down."

I watched as Dad didn't say anything as he went to walk away. "I'll see you later Aaron," I called after him, causing him to stop and look back at me. He gave a small smile and waved before turning back and walking on. I looked back to Dad before he nodded with his head towards the house, walking ahead of me and Carl to the front door. As we walked in, I couldn't help but look around with my mouth slightly gaping. "I remember when I was younger," I said looking to Dad, "you said that you and Lori were going to try and save up to get us a house like this."

He nodded at me, a small sad smile on his face before looking back around. Before too long, everyone was finally in the house and we were taking showers a few at a time. I was sitting out on the porch with Daryl, little Judith in my arms, when this woman walked up the steps and looked over at us. "Hi," she said smiling at us. "Hi," I said in return while Daryl stayed silent. "I work in the pantry," she said before motioning to the basket in her hands, "Deanna asked me to bring these over for you and your group." "Dad should be inside," I said nodding my head to the door.

She nodded before turning and knocking on the front door before disappearing inside after he opened the door to see who was knocking. She stayed inside for a while, finally coming back out maybe 30 minutes later. "Bye," she said with a wave and a smile before walking down the stairs and back up the street. I gave Daryl a confused look before looking back to the front door when I heard it open up. " _Whoa_ ," I said smiling when Dad walked out, "you look good Dad." He gave me like a bashfull smile before walking over and holding his hands out for Judy.

**DARYL'S POV**

I watched as Rick smiled down at his youngest daughter who was now in his arms, bouncing her up and down as she started to giggle. "We'll all me staying in the same house tonight," Rick said as he looked up from Judith and looked around at those of us who were outside with him, " _regardless_ of them giving us two houses. We're playing it safe." "Sounds like a plan," I said with a nod as Kat came and sat back down beside me. I watched as she leaned back against me before her eyes closed, a look of peace on her face even though she wasn't asleep.

"When are y'all going to go get cleaned up," Rick asked after a few minutes and looked at us. "We're waiting for everyone else," Kat said as I watched her open her blue eyes and looked up to her dad, "we'll get cleaned up, don't worry." I gave her a skeptical look before my attention turned back to her father. "Well one of the bathrooms is cleared now," he said, "one of you can go get in there and get cleaned up." "Well," Kat said with a slight blush coloring her cheeks as she looked back to me, "I was kinda hoping to take a shower with Daryl."


	102. Deanna's Visit

**DARYL'S POV**

I watched as slowly, Kat's face began to turn red when she realized what she just _said_ to her father. "I can _not_ believe I just said that out loud," she said as she lowered her head and covered her face in her hands. I looked up at Rick in time to see him clear his throat before walking back inside without a look back. "I don't think _he_ can believe you said that out loud either," I said placing my hand on her back and rubbing it up and down in a soothing motion as she remained hunched over.

"I'm just going to go on in and get a good shower then head over to Aaron's," she said with a sigh as she stood up and slowly walked off. I just sat there, not sure whether I should join her after her basically announcing it to her dad accidentally or just stay where I was. I mean, he's known for a little while now about me and Kat, he figured it out on his own and asked me about it. So I don't think he's dumb enough not to realize that there's other things going on with us, kind of comes with the territory for being involved with someone. But either way, I decided it'd be best this time to let her have the shower to herself.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I stayed in the shower longer than I really _needed_ to. I just couldn't force myself to leave. My mind was stuck on what I had said in front of Dad about me and Daryl. And then there was the fact that I was going to spend the night at my cousin's, wow never thought I'd be able to say that _normal_ sentence again, and I still didn't know how to tell him that I was romantically involved with a man who's old enough to be my father. I still don't know how he hasn't noticed it when apparently Deanna has.

When I finally walked out of the bathroom, all dressed with a small bag that held more clothes for me to wear tomorrow when I woke up, I spotted Dad and Michonne talking about something and Daryl was sitting on the other side of the room with Judy in a little play pin. Smiling, I walked over to say bye to them, bending down and picking Judy up once I was next to them. "Are you really going to go spend the night with your cousin," Daryl asked as he peered up at me from where he sat.

"Why are you going to miss me not being next to you while I'm gone," I asked with a smirk while I placed Judy on my hips. All I got was a _humph_ in return before the sound of knocking had everyone on edge as we looked towards the door. I watched as Dad opened the door, revealing Deanna. Judging from her facial expression, and dad groaning as he looked away, I take it she said something about him with a clean shaven face and shorter hair. Holding back a giggle, I turned back to the play pin and placed Judy in it before looking back to Dad and Deanna.

"It's absolutely _amazing_ to me," I heard Deanna say as she looked around at all of us while I felt Daryl move closer to stand behind me, "how people with completely different back grounds and absolutely nothing in common can come together and become a _family_ , much like yours has." "Everybody said you gave them jobs," Dad said. "Yeah," she said nodding as she looked around at us all, "its a part of being here." "Well you didn't give me one," he said as he looked down at her.

"Oh but I have," she said smiling up at him, "I just haven't told you yet. Same with Michonne. I'm closing in on something for Sasha. I have a pretty good idea on what I want to have Kathryn do. And I'm just trying to figure Mr. Dixon out, but I will." "Good luck," I whispered with a snigger, earning a small chuckle from Daryl beside me. I watched as she said one final thing to Dad before turning and walking out the door. I said my final goodbye to Daryl before walking over to Dad.

"You heading out," he asked looking down at me when I reached him and Michonne. "Yeah," I said nodding, "told Aaron I'd meet him at his house once we were all settled in and all." "I'll see you tomorrow then," he said giving me a hug before walking past me and into the living room with the others. I glanced back once before turning and walking out the front door, making my way to the house my cousin said he was staying in with Eric.


	103. The Job

**KATHYRN'S POV**

I enjoyed my time with Aaron last night, but to say I missed Dad and the others would be an understatement. After being around them for so long, it felt weird not being in the same room as them for a night. I looked around me with a smile, as the morning air filled my lungs, watching as other people walked past me with smiles on their face as they waved a greeting to me. "Oh there you are Kathryn," a voice said from off to my right. Looking over, I was greeted with the sight of Deanna walking to catch up to me.

"Good morning Deanna," I said trying to be polite as I stopped and waited for her to catch up, "is there something I can help you with?" "I mentioned last night about having a job for you here," she said when she walked up to me, "I thought since I caught you out here I'd go ahead and tell you what it was." "Okay," I said as I raised an eyebrow while I waited for her to continue.

"I've seen how you are with your younger siblings," she said smiling up at me, "and the few kids here that you've passed this morning. So I've made up my mind. I'd like for you to help out in our small school house, and maybed one day actually teach in it when we have more children to attend." "You mean you trust a complete and total stranger to look after the kids here in your small community," I asked as I regarded her carefully.

"It's just like back before all this happened," she said with that ever present smile, "you'd be sending kids off to spend 8 hours a day with a complete stranger." "Yeah but you had less of a chance of that stranger turning out to be some nutjob that would kill them without a second thought. This _event_ has really changed people now. You have to be carefull with who you trust with stuff like this." "You're just like your father," she said smiling, "did you know that? Just yesterday he was telling me that I shouldn't let people into this community. Which is why I'm giving him a job that he's very familiar with."

"You have cops here," I asked skeptically. "Not yet," she said, "but once I tell him and Michonne about their jobs, then we will have some here. So, what do you say? Will you help out with the school?" "I'm not much of a teacher," I said honestly. "That's alright," she said with a smile, "many people aren't without being taught to be. The person we have already as a teacher could help you out with it." "Okay," I said hesitantly. "Great," she said with a grin before turning and walking off.

**DARYL'S** **POV**

I sat out on the porch, everyone else having already left to _explore_ our new surroundings. I looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps to see that Kat was finally making it back from her stay with Aaron and Eric. "Morning Mr. Dixon," she said with a smirk before walking over and sitting next to me against the railing to the porch. "Morning Ms. Grimes," I said back before giving her an odd look. " _What_ ," she asked smiling innocently. "How was your stay away from all of us," I asked.

"I'll admit," she said with a sigh, "I miss Dad, Judy, and Carl." "That's _it_ ," I asked looking at her and earning a laugh. "And _you_ Daryl," she said with a smile, "sheesh don't get your panties in a twist." I gave her a sort of playful glare before turning away from her. "I don't know what you're talking about," I said as I looked out towards the street. "Whatever you say," she said laughing, "anyone inside?" "Nope," I said not looking back over to her, "out exploring." "Good," I heard her say before looking over to see her quickly hopping up, "c'mon!" I looked at her confused as she grabbed my hand before pulling me up and towards the front door.


	104. Fight At the Gate

**KATHRYN'S POV**

Daryl and I were sitting out on the porch steps the next morning. Everyone had slowly started to trickle back into the house as it got later in the evening and none seemed any wiser to what we had done that afternoon while the house was empty. Carl spent the evening telling me about this group of kids around his age that he hung out with. Even though from what he told me it started out on a rocky start, he enjoyed himself and couldn't wait to go back and hang out with them again.

I stared at Daryl as he worked on his crossbow, making sure it stayed in good working order. I couldn't help but giggle when he seemed to catch his finger on something. He sent me a glare before the sound of the front door opening caught both of our attention. I glanced back as Carol stepped out of the house, fixing some sort of sweater she had on before smiling at both me and Daryl. "Time to punch the clock and make the casseroles," she said in a _chippy_ tune. " _What_ ," Daryl said, glancing up at her.

"Make dinners for the older people," she said, "moms who need a break, people who can't cook. Get to meet a lot of the neighbors that way." "Have _fun_ ," I said as Daryl scoffed at what she said. "Have you taken a shower yet," she asked in a motherly tone as she stared straight at Daryl. "Mm-hmm," he said, lying through his teeth. "Take a shower," she said narrowing her eyes at him, "I'm gonna wash that vest. We need to keep up appearances." " _We need to keep up appearances_ ," I mimicked in a higher voice as she walked down the stairs.

**DARYL'S POV**

"I ain't startin' now," I said as I watched her walk away. "I'm gonna hose you down in your sleep," she remarked. "That's my job," I heard Kat mutter from beside me as I looked over at her. She sent me a sheepish smile when she realized I heard her before I turned my attention back to Carol. "You look _ridiculous_ ," I called after her as she walked away, earning a laugh from Kat. "Good one Daryl," she said when I looked back at her. In the day we'd been here, I'd seen her smile more than when we had been at that prison. It had me thinking that maybe this place wasn't so bad after all.

"Hey Daryl," Kat said after a few minutes, "let's go take a walk around the community. Didn't exactly get to explore yesterday." "Sure," I said unsure, "I guess we could." "It won't be so bad," she said with a smile as she stood to her feet, "Glenn, Tara, and Noah should be back from their job now anyway. We can meet them up by the front gate." "I'm beginning to wonder if I should be jealous of your friendship with Glenn," I said before earning a playful glare from her. She never replied to that before turning and walking off the porch with me behind her.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

Daryl and I were walking side by side down the street, headed to the front gate to greet our friends when they got back, but we didn't find a _happy_ scene. Glenn and one guy were arguing about something. "Daryl," I said barely above a whisper as I glanced at him while we came to a stop a few feet away. I watched Daryl take a few steps forward, my attention back on Glenn as that guy was pushing Glenn backwards and trying to get a rise out of him. " _Daryl_ ," I said again when he stopped but he didn't look back at me.

"No one's impressed man," I heard Glenn say to him and not seeming at all bothered by him, "walk away." "Aiden," I heard Deanna call out before she walked to stand next to Glenn and him, "what is going on here?" "This guy has a problem with the way we do things," he said calmly as he looked to Deanna, "why did you let these people in?" "Because we actually know what we're doing out there," Glenn said back while I stood there _shocked_ that he said such a thing.

In that next second, everything went to hell as Deanna shouted at Aiden when he swung at Glenn. Glenn dodged and gave him a nasty blow to the face and knocking him on his ass. Glenn stepped back not moving to make another hit while Daryl charged forward cause another guy went after Glenn. " _Daryl_ ," I cried out moving to pull him away from the guy as I caught sight of Dad and Carl running towards the group, "Daryl get off him!" My arms on Daryl's shoulders, I didn't stand a chance but what shocked me was him knocking me back and his hand hitting my face.

I landed on my ass, my hand instantly going up to my face as I stared at where Daryl was still trying to beat the hell out of the guy as Dad pulled him away from him. I stayed where I was, watching as Daryl seemed to pace back and forth with Dad standing in front of him. When Daryl glanced back at me, his attention instantly went from what just happened, and was on me. I was still shell-shocked as my hand rubbed my face where I got hit. "Kat," he whispered as he quickly knelt down next to me.

"It's fine Daryl," I said lifting my free hand up to him, "I'm okay." "No you're not," he said removing my hand and looking at my face, "I just _hit_ you." "It's okay," I said putting on a small smile, "I was stupid to think I stood a chance at even pulling you off of him. Remember, I'm tough. You can't keep me down." I watched as he gave me an unsure smile before helping me back to my feet as we turned to Dad and Deanna. "I told you I had a job for you," she said, "I'd like you to be our constable. You and Michonne."


	105. Back in Uniform

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I stood outside with Daryl after night fall. He had a cigarette in his hand but seemed to be more focused on my face where he'd hit me than smoking it. "I promise I'm fine Daryl," I said with a small laugh before swatting his hand away as he reached forwards to touch my face again. I looked up at him as he seemed to bite back the urge to say something before just sighing and lowering his free hand. "It was an accident," I said smiling warmly at him, "that's all it was. I'm not even mad about it."

He went to say something else after taking a hit from his cigarette but stopped at the sound of someone walking out of the opened from door. We both looked over to see Dad walking out completely dressed in the uniform of a cop. "Good to see you in one of those uniforms again," I said with a smile as I walked over to him and hugged him. "What happened to your face," he asked pulling back from me and looking down at the small bruise that was forming on my cheek.

"I hit her earlier when she tried pulling me off that dick who went after Glenn," Daryl said causing me to turn and glare at him. "And as I keep having to repeat myself," I said still staring at Daryl, "it was an accident because I should've known better and I don't hold him responsible for it happening." I heard Dad let out a small chuckle, causing me to look back at him. "You always did put your nose where you shouldn't when there was trouble," he said smiling down at me while I blushed.

**DARYL'S POV**

I stood back against the railing, watching as Rick talked with his daughter. "Say Dad," Kat said after a few minutes, "think in time you could talk Deanna into letting me join as a cop like you instead of being a teacher?" "You still wanna be a cop like me," he asked looking down at her shocked. " _Please_ ," she said batting her eyelashes. "I'll see what I can do," he said with a laugh before looking up at me, "I meant to ask you earlier, but we good?" "Yeah," I said with a nod, understanding what he was asking about.

Kat looked over to me before moving from her dad's arms, coming to stand next to me and leaning her head on my shoulder. "This mean we're staying then," she asked from beside me as I moved my free arm over to wrap around her. "I think we can start sleeping in our own homes," he said with a nod, "settle in." "Who's staying in which houses," Kat asked straightening up some in my arms. "I was thinking about that," he said, "I thing in one house it should be me, you, Daryl, Judy, Carl, and Michonne. Everyone else can stay in the other house."

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"I'm not really sure _how_ I should feel with you being so _okay_ with me and Daryl being together," I said staring at Dad as he looked to me and Daryl with a smile. "I do have some issues with the two of you being together," he said as he gave me a knowing look, "but I think it's kind of pointless _now_ to try and keep you both seperated." I felt a blush heat up my cheeks as I quickly looked away from him, avoiding his eye contact. I could hear Daryl laughing quietly beside me so I elbowed him, which earnt me a groan from him.


	106. First Day

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I woke up in bed alone this morning. It was the first morning since we'd decided to stay in both houses instead of staying in just one. I walked out of my room wearing what I'd gone to bed in, a shirt and shorts, looking for everybody. When I walked past one door, I peered in to see Michonne dressed in the same uniform Dad had tried on last night with her katana in hand. "Morning," I said smiling as she looked up at me, returning the smile. "Good morning," she said as she put her katana down, "a lot of us are starting our new jobs today. What about you?"

"Not exactly _starting_ today," I said with a shrug, "but I'm meeting with the person who's been teaching so that I can see how they do things here. I'll be sitting in the back of the room while they do all the teaching." "Morning ladies," Dad said as he came to a stop next to me. "Morning Daddy," I said with a smile as I wrapped him in a hug. "I wanna talk to Michonne alone," he said looking down at me. "Okay," I said looking up at him, "I need to be getting ready anyway. Don't need to be late in meeting who I'm to be working with." Both Dad and Michonne told me bye before I turned and walked back to my room.

**DARYL'S POV**

I left out just at sunrise this morning, deciding I needed a moment to myself and went hunting. I would've took Kat with me this morning, but she told me the night before that she that she was supposed to meet up with the local teacher to learn what it was she needed to do, so I let her sleep and left without waking her. The whole house was quiet when I left and there was only one person up from the community as they were standing guard at the gate. They let me out without a problem when I said I was going hunting, opened the gate and told me they hoped I brought back something good.

But it was early dawn when I heard a noise come from behind me and off to the side. "Come out," I called out raising my crossbow quickly, " _now_!" I watched as out walked Aaron, Kat's cousin. He looked nervous as he walked out, noticing my crossbow aimed at his head. Lowering my crossbow, I watched as he seemed hesitant on lowering his hands. "You can tell the difference between walkers and humans by sound," he asked as he finally lowered them. "Your cousin can too," I said as I continued to watch him.

I watched as he laughed lightly before regarding me. "Can you tell the difference between a good guy and a bad guy," he asked as he seemed to become uncomfortable under my stare, "Rick doesn't seem to be an expert at that." "There ain't much of a difference no more," I said. "That how you feel about your people," he asked and my mind went to Kat. "Why you following me," I asked as I began to get irritated. "I didn't know I was," he said looking around, "I came out to hunt rabbits. But I know why _you're_ out here. Mind if I join?" "Keep up," I said before walking off, "and keep _quiet_. Kat's quieter than you."

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

I spent a majority of the day, helping get supplies together for the primary teacher there. Funny thing was, their classroom was a _garage_. But I guess beggers can't be choosers. When my so called _work day_ ended, I found Dad standing out by the solar panels with Deanna and a few people from our group. "Tonight I'm hosting a welcome for all of you at my home," Deanna said as I came to a stop next to Dad, "I want you to be there." "Why," Sasha asked as she regarded her. "Come tonight," Deanna said, "then we'll talk about it."

"I don't have anything to wear," I said causing her to look at me, "I haven't had anything to wear for something like that since before the turn." "Talk to Jessie," she said to me with a nod, "she might be able to help you out." I looked to Dad as he looked back down at me before giving me a small shrug. Looking back to Deanna to see she was still watching, I gave a small nod before turning and heading towards where I'd seen Jessie once before to see if she could help me somehow.


	107. Welcome Party

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I spent the rest of the afternoon over at Jessie's house as she helped me get prepared for the welcome party at Deanna's house. "Leave your hair down," she said as I stood in her room and peered at my reflection in her floor length mirror. I was wearing a white dress that stopped just above my knees with a pair of flats after I told her I didn't do heels when she tried to hand me a pair. She could see the question in my eyes as I had debated on how to do my hair before suggesting to leave it down.

I had my mom's locket on too that she'd given me before she died and I've worn it every day since. "Let's get you finished up," Jessie said with a smile before placing her hands on my shoulders and turning me to face a small makeup table that had a mirror on it. "I don't really like makeup," I said looking back at her as she made me sit down on the chair. "That's okay," she said smiling, "it's just going to be something simple. I promise." "Okay," I said in a whisper before allowing her to do what she wanted.

Once I was completely done with getting ready, I walked with her and her family to Deanna's house so that I could surprise everyone else with what she'd done. I stood by the front door anxiously waiting for my group to show up. When the door opened and in walked Carol first, I couldn't help but smile as the familiar faces appeared one by one. All but _one_ face, _Daryl's_. "Wow Kathryn," Carl said as he walked up to me and hugged me, "I haven't seen you with your hair down in a long time." "Jessie suggested it," I said as I felt a blush color my cheeks out of embarrassment.

"Remind me to thank her when I see her," Dad said as he walked up to me with Judy in his arms. "Yeah well you clean up nicely," I said smiling as I took my baby sister from him. "Thank you sweetie," he said as he kissed the top of my head before we walked into the den with the rest of the group. As the night wore on, I waited patiently for Daryl and Aaron to show up to Deanna's party, but they never did. Finally having had enough of the party, I told my dad I was going to go find Aaron and spend the rest of the evening with him and Eric. After telling me to be careful, I walked out of the front door and made my way down the street.

I looked up at Aaron's house, standing outside for a second before walking up the steps and knocking on his door. "Hey Kit-Kat," he said smiling as I stood there nervously, "why aren't you at the party?" "I could ask you the same thing," I said smiling, "and I didn't see either of you there so I thought I'd come see what you were doing." "We're eating spaghetti," he said laughing, "and Eric's not up to going to a party. You know because of his leg." "Yeah that's right," I said with a nod, "mind if I join?" "Sure come on in," he said with a smile before stepping back, "hope you don't mind someone else here with us." "Who," I asked looking up at him.

**DARYL'S POV**

I was sat next to Eric as we waited for Aaron to return from walking to the door. When I looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps, I was suprised to see Kat walking with him. It was like my mind seemed to go blank at the sight of her. I'd never really seen her with her hair down and I _know_ I'd never seen her in a dress in the almost two years I've known her. I watched as she seemed to get a blush as she looked down, her hair slowly covering her face but I didn't miss the fact that she bit her lip. "Kathryn's decided to join us for dinner," Aaron said placing his hand on her back and seeming oblivious to her reaction to me being there, "I hope you both don't mind."

"Of course not," Eric said smiling up at her before opening his arms for her, "come here honey." She smile and walked over to him, hugging him tightly before her eyes peered at me again as she slowly pulled away from his hug. "You can sit here," Aaron said moving his plate to sit in front of Eric and letting her sit in front of me. "I wasn't expecting you to be here Daryl," she said as she sat down before Aaron filled her plate and placed it in front of her. "Aaron invited me in to join them," I said glacing to her cousin, "I didn't really feel comfortable going to a _party_."

"I figured you didn't when you didn't walk in with Dad and the others," she said as she began digging into her food. "So Kathryn are you and the others settling in well," Eric said from beside me as he looked up at her after clearing his mouth of food. "Too soon to tell I think," she said as she smile at him, "but Dad's really trying so that's a good sign I guess." "I heard that you started doing your part with the school today," Eric said as he looked at her, "did you like it?" "It was okay," she said with a shrug, "but it's not really something I wanted to do."

"What is it you would like to do then," Eric asked. "I don't know," she said laughing, "helping out with what Dad does. Maybe go on runs every once in a while like I did at the last place we stayed at." "Speaking of runs," Eric said as he looked over at me, "when you're out there, if you happen to be in a store or something Mrs. Neudermyer is _really_ looking for a pasta maker. And we're all really trying to get her to shut up about it." I glanced at Kat as we both had a confused look on our faces before I turned back to Eric, watching as he glanced to Aaron who seemed like a deer caught in headlights.


	108. About Daryl's Job

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I looked over at Aaron beside me, before turning my attention back to Eric as he stared at Aaron when he finally realized something. "I'm sorry," Eric said looking down at his plate as he started playing with his food, "I thought it was done. You didn't _ask_ him already?" "Are we missing something here," I asked as I looked back and forth between my cousin and his partner as he shook his head to Eric's question before looking to me and Daryl. "Ask me what," Daryl asked, causing me to turn my eyes to look at him but keeping my head facing Aaron.

"Will you come with me for a minute," Aaron asked as he started to stand, "Kathryn you can come too if you want." "Um," I said before looking to Eric, "I think I'll stay in here for a few moments and help Eric clean up. That way he doesn't have to be on his ankle that much." "Okay," Aaron said with a nod as he and Daryl stood to their feet before walking out of the dinning room and down a hallway. I looked to Eric with a smile before I stood and started picking up the dirtied dishes. "Oh you don't have to do that," he said quickly when he realized what I was doing.

"It's fine," I said with a smile as I continued, " _so_ , what is it that Aaron's asking Daryl exactly?" "If you wanted to know you could've went with them when they left the table," Eric said with a laugh. "Yeah I could've," I said with a shrug, "but you still needed help in here so I chose to stay and help you out. So now tell me, what is Aaron wanting to ask Daryl?" "Aaron wants Daryl to take my place in helping recruit people," he said as he peered at me. I looked to him before looking towards where Aaron and Daryl had disappeared. Knowing what Daryl's answer would be, I put the plates I had in my hands down and stormed out of the house.

**DARYL'S POV**

I had been talking with Aaron in their garage, looking at the bits and pieces of the bike that was parked there, when we both heard the front door slam. We walked back to the front of the house to find Eric sitting there at the table as he stared at the front door. "Where's Kat," I asked as I looked around, only to notice that she wasn't there. "We got talking about what you were going to ask Daryl," he said looking to Aaron. "So you _told_ her," I asked before turning and walking out of the house. I looked up and down the street before spying her as she headed in the direction of our house here.

"Kat," I called out as I walked after her. She stopped for a second, looked over her shoulder at me, before turning back around and continuing on. " _Damnit Kat_ ," I shouted and ran to catch her before grabbing her arm and pulling her to a stop. "Let me go," she said as she tried to pull away but I only held on tighter. "No," I said before turning her to face me, "what the hell was that?" "You know damn well what," she said as she looked up at me, "I'm not allowed to do runs here unless I'm doing something for myself or one of our group. Yet you're being offered a chance to go out there."

"What's gotten into you Kat," I asked as I pulled her to me as she started to cry, burying her face in my chest as her hands gripped the back of my vest tightly. "We've got a good place here," she said in a small voice, "but I don't want you going out there unless I can go too so that I know what's going on. That's why I went out so much back at the prison after we'd let everyone from Woodbury join us. I'm just _scared_ I'm gonna lose you and I won't know about it until Aaron get's back to tell us."

"You don't gotta worry about me," I said as I pushed her back gently, "ain't no damn walker gonna get me." "I still worry," she whispered as she looked up at me with a tear stained face. "C'mon," I said as I turned her around and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, "let's get back so that we can get ready for bed." "I need to get my clothes from Jessie and give her back the dress and shoes," she said as she tried to stop. "You can do that tomorrow," I said as I kept her walking before leaning down to whisper in her ear, "and you should know, seeing you walk in at Aaron's looking like this made it damn _hard_ to sit in that chair and eat."


	109. After Party Fun

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"What _exactly_ was hard Daryl," I asked with an evil smile on my face before turning and running off towards the house. I couldn't help but laugh out as I turned my head to look back, seeing him still standing there as he stared after me completely dumbfounded. I stopped for a second and faced him before lifting my arm over my head and waving him to follow me before I turned back and continued running. I didn't have to turn around this time, I could hear him following behind as he easily started catching up with me.

We both stopped when we reached the steps to the front porch, noticing the lights were out in the house. "Shh," I said as I lifted my hand to my mouth as I tried to hold in a giggle. I quickly grabbed Daryl's hand before walking up the steps and pulling him with me. We creeped inside, making our way up to the second story and towards the room we'd been staying in since Dad agreed to try and settle into the place. I looked towards Dad's room door before disappearing into the room with Daryl in tow.

**DARYL'S POV**

I turned to face the door once we'd both entered, closing and locking it behind me before turning back around to face Kat as she sat on the edge of the bed and tried to look as _innocent_ as possible. Almost like she didn't think she'd done anything at all to lead up to this point. I quickly made my way over to her, grabbing her upper arms and lifting her up to her feet before kissing her roughly. This earned me a muffled moan as I let go of her arms so that she could wrap them around my neck. I took the opportunity to reach down and grab the bottome of the dress' skirt.

I pulled away from the kiss, earning a pout from her as I quickly pulled the dress up and over her head before tossing it across the room to land somewhere on the floor. I watched as she quircked up an eyebrow before I quickly pulled her back to me and crashed my lips back to hers as my hands made their way behind her to work on her bra. I felt her rest her hands on my shoulders before slowly dragging them down until she was working on the buttons to the front of my shirt I'd put on to wear to the party that I never even joined.

She pulled back from me slightly, looking down as she quickened her pace in trying to get my shirt off as I quickly made short work in ridding her of her bra. I took the chance and lowered my head, bringing my mouth into direct contact with her right breast. I felt her stiffen as her movement ceased temporarily as I left my hands resting on her bare hips, pulling her hips closer to me as I continued to give her chest so much attention. I could hear her trying to hold in a moan as I continued but small sounds were making it past her lips.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I wasn't getting _anywhere_ with getting Daryl undressed when he already had 90% of my clothing off and thrown all around the room. Taking matters into my own hands, I quickly pushed him back away from me and set to work with getting his shirt and pants off before he tried to get at my body again to distract me. I was finally able to get him out of his shirt and pants, him kicking his boots off with his pants when they got caught around his ankles. I bit my lip as I stared at him before I began backing up towards the bed, falling onto it when my legs came into contact with the mattress.

Daryl took the time to take control, quickly pulling off the flats I was wearing and then my final piece of clothing before he removed his boxers and joined me on the bed. His mouth found mine again with a bruising force as my legs opened on their own as he moved to hover over me. He didn't waist any time before he did a hard thrust with his hips, impaling me instantly. I moaned out into his mouth as my hands shot up to his shoulders, digging my nails into his flesh and causing him to continue to thrust.

I lifted my legs up, wrapping them around his waist as he continued to pummel into me and finding a set rhythm. I gasped out as he found that special inner sweet spot, causing him to go faster as he began to hit it with every downward thrust. I had to use his mouth as a way to quiet my moans as the familiar knot in my stomach appeared and began tightening. I was so close to the edge, I knew any second I'd be tipped over and sent into the beautiful abyss.

Daryl removed his mouth from mine as he sat back slightly without changing his pace, only to move one of his hands inbetween us and begin to quickly rub the bundle of nerves between my legs. I turned my head to the side, removing one of my hands from his shoulders as I used it to muffle my moans as I was finally sent over the edge and released all over his still moving member inside of me. I had to bite down on my hand as he sped up while I was sensitive, sending me into a second orgasm as I felt him finally stiffen before releasing his warm seed inside of me.

As he pulled out of me, I felt my lower belly twitching as I tried to catch my breath while I lowered my poor hand from my mouth. I looked over at Daryl, slightly dazed, as he moved on the bed to grab our blanket and covered the both of us. "I'm not going to be able to walk tomorrow," I said laughing hoarsely, "I just _know_ _it_." "Like that's a bad thing," he said, his voice deep after our activities. "Probably," I said laughing, "but go to sleep. I've got to get up early enough tomorrow to take Jessie the dress back." "'Night Kat," Daryl muttered as I rolled over onto my side and he moved closer to me, placing his arm over my bare waist.


	110. A Week's Time

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I woke up the next morning, Daryl's arm still wrapped snuggly around me. "'Morning," I heard Daryl whisper softly into my ear as he tightened his hold around me when he felt me stir slightly. "You're going to take Aaron's offer aren't you," I asked in a quiet voice. I felt him stiffen slightly before he finally spoke up. "Nothin' else for me to do," he said as he sat up on his elbow. I rolled over so that I was laying on my back, peering up at him. "I know," I said as I looked down before looking back to him, "you need to be out there. I get it Tarzan."

"You haven't called me that in a while," he said smiling down at me as he lowered his head, placing a small kiss on my lips before pulling back. "I've had other things to worry about other than your nickname," I said smiling before I watched him get up from the bed, "where are you going?" "Aaron's got a bike sitting in his garage," he said looking at me, "needs to be put together before I can do the job he's offering." "Can I come," I asked sitting up as he walked around the room. "Don't you have work to do yourself," he asked while I smirked. "Screw it," I said laughing, "I wanna see the bike."

As the week wore on, I spent most days with Daryl, but others I was left with no choice but to go to the _school_ to help the teacher. It wasn't a bad job, I got to spend time with my brother during the afternoon when he started attending classes. Even though it wasn't that bad, I wanted to do what it was Dad and Michonne were doing, that or help Daryl and Aaron with the recruiting. But I didn't have a say in it at the moment. So I just stuck with what I was doing.

**DARYL'S POV**

I sat on a box in Aaron's garage, working on the bike as I heard the door that led inside, open and close before the sound of someone walking towards me reached my ears. I glanced up over the bike that I'd been working on for about a week, spying Kat walking in all dressed up in what she's been wearing to the school she's been working at. She didn't say anything to me, just pulled up a spare box and sat down next to me, watching what I was doing. "Somethin' on your mind sweetheart," I asked after glancing over at her and noticing the look on her face.

"No," she said shaking her head before finally looking over at me instead of staring at the bike in front of us, "just thinking is all." "Thinking about what," I asked as I put down the tool I had in my hand before fully turning to face her. "It's just," she started before stalling for a second. "What," I asked as she looked up at me. "The bike's almost finished," she said, "which means you'll be going out there again soon with Aaron. I just don't like the idea of two people from my family going out there and risking their lives anymore."

"You consider me a part of your family," I asked, watching as a blush began to rise up on her cheeks. "Well _yeah_ ," she said as she looked down at her hands and refused to look up at me for a moment, "I thought that was obvious by now. I mean, I didn't peg you for one to go for labels so I never said anything." I smiled as I watched her, her blue eyes slowly peering back up at me through her lashes with her blush still ever present on her cheeks. I turned away after a moment, going back to my bike as I figured she'd need some time to recompose herself.

"Would you take me out for a ride on the bike once it's finished," she asked after a few minutes, "before you and Aaron leave for your first run? I don't know how long you two will be gone out there before returning." I looked over at her and nodded, watching as a small smile graced her lips. "I can do that," I said as we both turned our attention back to the bike before me. As the time went on after that, before we made our way back to the house we shared with the others, she'd ask questions about the bike as she seemed keen on learning what makes it tick.

**KATHRYN'S** **POV**

We spent the rest of the day with him teaching me about the bike before returning home. A day later, we took it out for a test run. We stopped at once point, some place away from everything and just enjoying the silence. Well, that's not the only thing we enjoyed. But that was yesterday. Today, Daryl is leaving with Aaron to begin his new job. I laid in bed, Daryl's arm wrapped around me again as he held me tightly to him. I felt him stirring behind me before I tightened my grip on his hand."You're really going today aren't you," I asked in a whisper, keeping my back to him as I stared at the wall on my side.

"We'll be back before you know it," he said in his deep morning voice as he moved that much closer to me and placed a small kiss on my shoulder, "I won't let anything happen to me or your cousin while we're out there." I gave a small nod before rolling onto my back to face him, keeping his arm snug around my waist. "I just want y'all where it's safe," I mumbled out. "I know," he whispered, "but my place is out there. Not behind these walls." "I know," I whispered out before he kissed the top of my head and climbed out of bed to get ready.


	111. Ready Or Not

**KATHRYN'S POV**

Weeks have passed since Daryl first started recruiting with Aaron. Every time they'd return from being out there to recover, he'd be almost _happy_ to be back out there a few days later. That's not saying he didn't enjoy seeing me and Judy when he came back, because when he wasn't tuning up his new bike or crossbow, he was with us. But he'd left out again yesterday, saying that he and Aaron were following someone they'd apparently exiled before and they wanted to keep tabs on the guy.

And that's why I'm currently sat in the bathroom connected to mine and Daryl's room, alone, with Maggie and Glenn outside on my bed for moral support. Last few mornings, I've felt sick to my stomach. And I knew the symtoms, I watched Lori get pregnant twice. But I wanted to know for sure. I just didn't know how I was going to tell Dad, _and_ Daryl, if I was. It'd be like I'd be under house arrest if I was and told them, they'd never let me do anything for a _long_ time. It was bad enough I had to convince Daryl yesterday that I was okay when he woke up that morning to find me hunkered over the toilet bowl.

I looked down at the pocket watch that used to belong to Hersel that was now Glenn's, looking to see that it had been enough time for the test that sat on the bathroom counter. Taking a deep breath, I stood up and grabbed the little test. Looking down, I came face to face with the little pink plus sign. There it was, my fate was sealed for the next several months as I'd be forced to stay within the gates of Alexandria. Well I would be once I told them, which I still had no idea how I was to break the news to them. Right now, I had to face my two closest friends outside this bathroom.

I placed the stick back on the counter and turned to face the door, unlocking it and opening it. I looked up at my friends, both with their attention on me as soon as they had heard the door open. "Well," Maggie asked as she stood up, walking over to me. "I'm pregnant," I said as I tried to be excited, but I was actually scared to death. "Oh sweetie," she said once she spied the look on my face, "everything will be alright." "That's the same thing we told Lori," I said as she hugged me. "You going to tell your Dad," Glenn asked as Maggie pulled away from the hug, "and Daryl?"

"Well yeah I have to," I said with a shrug, "I just have no idea on how or when. I want to tell them both at the same time, or close to it anyway." "You'll be able to as soon as you come to terms with the idea," Maggie said rubbing my back and giving me a comforting smile. "This is why you're both my friends," I said as I hugged her before moving to hug Glenn. "Hey I've been your friend since about the start of this," Glenn said when I pulled away. I just gave him a big smile before walking to the door. "Let's go fix something to eat," I said laughing, "I'm starving."


	112. Stressful Day

**KATHRYN'S POV**

When Maggie and Glenn left later on that day before anyone else returned, I asked them to take the test with them. Last thing I needed was either Dad, Carl, or Michonne finding it and asking questions. And the last person I wanted to find it was Daryl. I wanted to tell him instead of him finding out like that. So for now, until the time came, I wasn't saying anything. I helped Carol fix dinner that night then went to bed early. Dad noticed and came by later that night, asking if I was okay but I just said I was only tired.

He seemed to believe it as he kissed the top of my head before leaving out of the bedroom and leaving me to my thoughts. How would Daryl react to finding out I was pregnant and he was to be a dad? How would _Dad_ react to knowing that I'm pregnant with an older man's child? I mean he kind of knows by now that me and Daryl have done the tango under the sheets at least once, but it don't mean he's all that happy about it. But Dad and the others, besides Maggie and Glenn, would have to wait until after I told Daryl. No matter what, he had to be one of the first ones to know.

**MAGGIE'S POV**

It's been a week since Kathryn found out she was pregnant. She planned on spending the day with me today while Glenn and some of the others were out on runs and she didn't have to be at the school to help teach. I smiled over at Glenn from where the two of us stood as he walked by to make sure he and the group he was going with had everything. "Hey," I said grabbing his arm and stopping him. He looked back at me and smiled. "Don't worry Glenn," Kathryn said from beside me, "you've got this. You've done runs since the start." "Yeah I know," he said with a smile.

I watched as Kathryn hugged him before he pulled back and looked at her. "I'll be looking for you some stuff too," he added before turning to me and giving me a kiss. He didn't wait for her to reply before turning and walking off to leave. I looked to Kathryn and smiled as she looked to me with a slightly flushed face. "Don't worry," I said wrapping my arm around her shoulders, "he won't let anyone else know what he's getting. He was pretty good at fooling me when he did that for Lori." "I know," she said with a nod before we left to go spend some time together.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

When Glenn and the others returned, everything was so _stressful_. Glenn and Eugene came back bloody, while Tara and Nicholas came back unconsious. And Tara had a nasty wound to her head. "Glenn," I shouted out when I met them with everyone else at the gate and noticed Tara's state, "what happened? Where's Noah and the other guy y'all left with?" I felt Maggie's hands on my shoulders as I started up at Glenn, trying to look into his eyes while he just looked down at his feet and refused to answer.

My hands, shaking, went up to my mouth as I knew what it meant when he refused to answer me or even _look_ at me. "C'mon," Maggie said as she wrapped her arm around my shoulders before lowering her voice, "let's get back to the house. This stress and emotion isn't good for the baby." I nodded, not saying a word as I allowed her to lead me away. My only thoughts were on the two others that were out there on the other side of the wall. I was worried about Daryl and Aaron making it back safely.

We sat on the porch outside but weren't alone for long. Dad, Glenn, Eugene, Carol, and Carl joined us there, Glenn all but collapsing on the steps as he broke down. Instantly, me and Maggie ran over to him, Maggie wrapping him in a hug while I sat down next to him. We waited, for him to explain what happened to the others. As he talked, I could tell that he was upset. "He's going to try and save his ass," Glenn mumbled after he finished telling us everything, "he's had to do this before." "It won't work against us," I said shaking my head as I placed my hand on his shoulder, "we won't let it."

 


	113. All Goes to Hell

**KATHRYN'S POV**

So much has happened within the following week. Dad seemed to go crazy, talking about Pete hiting his wife and maybe the youngest family member, Sam. I went out walking one day, on my day away from the school, only to find Dad pointing a gun at people with Pete down on the ground. I didn't miss the fact that Michonne had to be the one to knock _him_ out before he hurt someone else. He's just been locked in a house that was made into a make-shift jail since then and only just now getting _released_ from it.

The day was going by fast, word went around yesterday that there was going to be a sort of town meeting to discuss what they should do with Dad. I was scared that they were going to kick him out. If they did, would that mean they'd kick us out too? I was standing in the house that Maggie and Glenn were staying in when these thoughts were going through my mind, and Maggie just happened to be in the same room as me to notice my reaction to everything.

She quickly made her way over to me and wrapped her arms around me. "It's okay Kathryn," she said, "we're going to try and convince Deanna not to kick him out. We're all going to do it. Just like before, he has a right to a fair trail by his peers." "They already don't like him," I whispered back, "they'll work hard to get him out of here. And Pete seems to be on the war path now." "It'll be okay," she said before pulling back to look at me. I nodded before I walked out to go get ready for the meeting.

We had told Carl to stay at the house with Judy, we didn't want him there in case they did exile Dad, as Deanna likes to call it. I was walking with Maggie and Glenn, making our way to where the meeting was being held, but I couldn't keep from looking towards the direction of the gate. "Their not back yet," I said as I looked away and looked to my two friends, "they should've been back by now. Don't you think?" "They probably just got held up," Glenn said as he moved so that I was walking between the two before he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, "they'll be back soon."

"He's right," Maggie said grabbing my hand and giving it a squeeze, "Daryl can take care of himself out there and he won't let anything happen to Aaron. You don't have to worry." "But I can't help it," I said smiling at them both, "they're my family. All of you are." "C'mon let's worry about this meeting for now then we can worry about Daryl and Aaron," Glenn said before placing a kiss to my temple. "Should I be _jealous_ of this show of affection," Maggie asked as she gave the two of us a playful glare.

I merely rolled my eyes before removing Glenn's arm from around my shoulders and pushing him towards Maggie. "He's all yours Maggie," I said laughing, "I've already got my eyes on one person." "Yeah," Glenn said laughing, "and look where that's got you." " _Jerk_ ," I said as I playfully glared at him. He laughed harder before running from me when I went to chase him. I watched as something caught his eye before he looked to us. "I'll catch up," he said before running off, leaving it to be me and Maggie to go to the meeting without him.

**MAGGIE'S** **POV**

I sat with Kathryn on my right, as we waited for the meeting to begin. We thought we were ready for everything. For what ever those against us here would have to say about Rick, and possibly us too. But we weren't prepared for when Rick walked up, bloody, with a dead walker on his shoulders. And we weren't prepared for Pete to show up with Michonne's sword in hand. It was chaos, as Pete and Reg fought. It all happened so fast, one minute they were both standing with the sword between them and the next, Reg was on the ground gurgling as blood poored from the slash in his throat.

I watched Abraham run up to Pete, pinning him down to the floor as Rick watched everything that was happening. I couldn't help but glance over at Kathryn as she watched in silence. There was no sign of fear on her face, she just had a blank stare that mirrored her father's. I glanced back to the commotion in time to see Deanna tell Rick to do it. In that next second, Rick pulled out his gun and shot Pete in the head, silencing his shouts. Silence settled over everyone, the only sound being Reg slowly dying, before we heard another voice call out.

"Rick," the voice said, the questioning tone clear as everyone turned their attention to the new comer. "Daryl," I heard Kathryn call out as she quickly made her way to him as he stood in the doorway with Aaron and someone else. I watched as she greeted Daryl first, before turning to her cousin and welcoming him in a hug as well. She turned back to Daryl in time for him to place both of his hands on her cheeks. I couldn't hear what he asked, but I could see her nod. Looking around again, I realized Glenn never showed up, so I made my way out of there in search of him to tell him what happened.


	114. Not Used to this Drama

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I watched that night as Dad placed the man he said he once knew into the house that was like a jail, saying it had to be done for right now. I had learned not to question him, not anymore anyway. But I couldn't sleep any that night. I laid awake, Daryl's arm around me as he slept behind me. After everything that happened, and having Daryl behind me while I _still_ haven't told him about me, I just couldn't get my head to shut off. Sighing, I carefully moved Daryl's arm from around me before easing my way out of bed.

Changing back into the clothes I wore before bed, I snuck my way out of the bedroom and then out of the house. Everything was dark outside, and quiet. It was so different than when everyone was outside during the day. Making my way down the street, I stopped at the steps to one house. Looking up at it, I took a deep breath before climbing the stairs and knocking on the door. I waited a few moments before the door finally opened, revealing who I wanted to talk with.

"Hey what's wrong," Aaron asked when he opened the front door to his place and seeing me out on his steps. "I've got a lot on my mind and I could really use someone to talk to," I said looking up at him. "Come on in," he said stepping out of the way and motioning for me to enter his house. "Thanks Aaron," I said as I walked passed him. "What's wrong that has you awake at this point in time," he asked once we were both in his house and the door was shut.

"We haven't been able to connect like most cousins," I said as I looked down at my feet, "but you're family and I need someone I can trust with what I need to get off my chest. Only two other people know what's bothering me." "Why not tell Rick," he asked as I looked up at him. It's a reasonable question, but I can't say anything to him, not yet. "I will when it's time to," I said, "but right now I can't. Especially not with everything that's going on right now." "What's got you bothered Kathryn," Aaron asked as he wrapped his arms around me when it seemed like I was going to break. "I'm pregnant," I whispered out.

**DARYL'S POV**

"Have y'all seen Kat," I asked as I walked down the stairs to find Rick, Carl, Michonne, and even little Judith down there but no Kathryn. "She's not upstairs," Michonne asked looking at me strangely. "No," I said shaking my head, "she was gone when I woke up this morning." "Maybe she went on to the school to get stuff set up," Carl suggested as he looked around at all of us. "Nah y'all have a break from school today," I said shaking my head before the sound of the front door opening and closing caught our attention.

"Hi," Kat said when she walked into the kitchen and spotted everyone looking at her. "Where've you been," Rick asked as her face seemed to flush at seeming to have been scolded by her dad. "Sorry," she said, "I couldn't sleep last night and didn't want to bother anyone so I took a walk. Found myself at Aaron's and before I knew it, the sun was up." "Everything alright," Rick asked as he looked worriedly at his daughter. "Yeah," she said with a smile, "just a lot going on since we arrived is all. I'm used to it being _less_ dramatic when we're somewhere like this." "We all are," Michonne said with a smile.

"I'm going out to work on my bike," I said looking to Kat, "you coming?" "Yeah," she said with a smile as she followed me out the door to where I had it parked on the curb in front of the house. "You sure you're alright," I asked after a few minutes when I glanced at where she sat on the curb. "Yeah," she said with a smile, "I promise." "Kathryn," I heard someone call out, causing me and her to both look over to see Glenn and Maggie walking towards us. " _Glenn_ ," she said jumping up and running to him as she placed her hands on his face, "what happened to you?"

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"I'm okay Kathryn," Glenn said smiling at me as I continued to fuss over his face. I continued to look at the cuts and bruises on his face before noticing the bandage that was sneaking out from under his shirt. "Kathryn," he said as he quickly grabbed my hands and caught my attention, "I'm okay. But we came to let you know that Tara's awake." "She's awake," I asked smiling, "can I go see her?" "Yeah we'll take you," Maggie said smiling over at me. I quickly looked back at Daryl. "Go on," he said with a nod of his head. "I'll be back later," I said running to kiss him before leaving with Maggie and Glenn.


	115. Rick's Way

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I sat with Tara, talking to her about everything that'd happen since she'd been unconscious after getting back from that run. She was heart broken when she learned that Noah didn't make it, honestly we all were. But when I was getting ready to leave after spending most of the day with her, talking mainly, Dad walked in looking for me. "Kathryn we've got a problem," he said peering in through the door, "we're gathering every able body in Deanna's house." "What's wrong," I asked looking at him confused. "I'll explain it when we get there," was all he said. Nodding, I said goodbye to Tara before following him out.

We sat in a meeting, I sat next to Daryl with the rest of the original group near by while Dad stood somewhat in the center of the room and he talked. He was right when he said we had a problem. A walker herd of the size he mentioned, if it came this way, it'd distroy this place. "Daryl," I whispered, looking over to him. He didn't reply, just simply looked over at me before looking back at whoever was talking. "What Dad's saying," I said, "we haven't seen a herd that size in a while. And it almost seems like everytime we find a place, we see one _giant_ herd."

"I know," was his only reply before I turned my attention back to the meeting. "Now what I'm proposing," Dad said as I tuned back in to the conversation at hand, "I know it sounds risky, but walkers are already slipping through the exits. One of the trucks keeping the walkers in, could go off the edge any day now. Maybe after one more hard rain. That exit sends them east, all of them, right at us." I looked around at all of the faces of the people in the rooms. They weren't ready for this, none of them. They hadn't been out there like we had, they weren't prepared for something like this  to happen.

"Dad's right," I said standing up and gaining everyones attention, "this isn't about _if_ it gives but _when_." "It's going to happen," Dad said with a nod as I slowly sat back down next to Daryl, "that's why we have to do this soon." I watched as Carol played her _I'm a helpless woman_ card before another man spoke up. "Couldn't we just build up the weak spots," he asked. "Are you not listening," I asked looking at him like he was stupid, "our group, my family and friends from the start of this, we've seen what a herd that size can do. This place won't survive that herd."

**DARYL'S POV**

"And even if we could," Rick said as he nodded to his daughter beside me, "the sound would only draw in more of them." "We're going to do what Rick said," Deanna said after a few minutes, "the plan he's laid out." I watched, as silence settled over the room upon hearing what she said. That was the first time she'd spoken up since the meeting started. "I told you all," Rick started back up again as he looked back at me and Kat, "we're going to have Daryl and Kathryn leading them away." I moved to get comfortable in my spot against the window, leaning to the side with a foot propped up as Kat moved to lay back against me.

I happened to glance over towards her cousin, catching his eyes on the two of us as we got comfortable. I looked back to the the others when I heard Sasha speaking. "Me too," she said, "I'll take a car, ride next to them. It can't just be them with one vehicle." "I'll go with her," Abraham said with a slight nod, "it's a long ride regardless. No need to ride it solo in the car." "Alright," Rick said with a nod, "we'll have two teams. One on each side of the forest to help manage this thing. We're going to have a few people on watch from now on. Rosita, Spencer, and Holly. So they're out, so who's in?"

It sat silent for a moment before someone spoke up. "Me," Michonne said with a nod to Rick as he returned to the gesture. I watched Maggie and Glenn discussing something over there between the two of them before they agreed on something. "I'm in," Glenn said looking up at Rick who stood in front of him. "I'd like to help as well," Gabrial said. "No who else," Rick said with a quick dismissal of the request, "we need more." "There's gotta be another play," that same man said again as he looked around the room. "Are you that damn dense," Kat said as she stood to her feet and moved to stand next to her father, "I'll dumb it down for you then. Those walkers get out, you all die, end of story. There's no way to protect yourself if they reach these walls."

"Walkers herd up," Rick said as he placed his hand on his daughter's shoulder, "they follow a path. We just need to lead the way." "So we're just supposed to take your word for it," the guy said, "we're all supposed to just fall in line behind you after what you've done?" I stood up then, grabbing Kat's arm and pulling her back towards me. I could see the way she was tensing up, like she was ready to jump on the guy and beat the shit out of him, and I wouldn't put it past her to do. "After _what_ ," Kat said glaring at the guy.

"After he waves a gun around," he said, "screaming, pointing it at people. After you shoot a man in the face." "That _man_ wasn't a man," Kat said as she tugged against my hand while trying to get free, "he was beating his wife. He _killed_ Reg." " _Enough_ ," Deanna shouted, silencing the argument between Kat and the guy. After a moment, we watched as more people who've been here in Alexandria agreed to help. One by one, we finally got the number of people we needed to do what we had to do to protect this place. "We'll make this place work," Rick said after a while, "we'll keep this place safe. Keep our families safe." "The plan," that same guy from before spoke up, "go over it again." "He _just_ said it," I said looking at him. "If we're really doing this," he said, "then go over it again. Every last detail."


	116. Dry Run

**KATHRYN'S POV**

Days have passed since Dad talked to everyone about the walker herd that would eventually reach us when they finally get passed that road block. Today was the day we were doing that plan we'd been working on since. Daryl and everyone else was already downstairs, but I was stood in front of the mirror in our room, just staring at my reflection. It wasn't noticable unless you knew what you were looking for, but there was the tiniest hint that I was pregnant, the first signs of a baby bump. I just stared at it. It was really real. I was pregnant.

The thought of having a baby had been pushed to the back of my mind these last few days as I tried helping out with getting things ready for when we'd all be doing this. But now, as I stood there, the realization hit me. And I _still_ hadn't told Daryl yet. Glenn, Maggie, even Aaron knew, but I hadn't made it to telling him. I still remember Aaron's reaction. I remember him instantly knowing who was the father, and that shocked me but we didn't exactly hide it either that we were together.

I snapped out of my thoughts upon hearing footsteps climbing the stairs and making their way to my room. Quickly, I finished getting dressed and made it seem like I was pulling my hair back as the door opened to reveal Daryl. "Everyone's waitin'," he said looking at me. "Sorry," I said laughing as I pulled my shoes on before walking towards the door. I didn't make it out before he grabbed my arm and stopped me. "What's on your mind Kat," he asked staring at me, "you seem like something is botherin' you." "It's nothing," I said with a smile as I waited for him to release my arm.

After a moment longer, he finally released my arm and allowed me to walk out of the door before he followed behind. "We're doing a dry run today," Dad said as we appeared at the base of the stairs, "just so the others know how it's going to go." "Okay," I said with a nod as we all followed him out the front door and down the street to where all of the vehicles were kept. I glanced over at Glenn, smiling at him when he glanced my way. "Where's Maggie," I asked as I moved from beside Daryl to walk next to Glenn. "Wanted her to stay behind," he said, "to help Deanna." "Oh," I said, "okay."

**DARYL'S POV**

We all stood at the quarry where the walkers were, Rick up where everyone could see and hear him as he addressed all of the people that were there for the job. "I know this _sounds_ insane," he called out as he looked at everyone, "but this is an insane world. We have to come for them, before they come for us. It's that simple." I watched as he looked over his shoulder, in the direction of where all of the walkers were. It was almost hard to hear what he was saying, the moaning and the groaning from that many walkers was loud and drawing in more.

I glanced over at Kat as she stood next to me, her sole focus was on her father in front of us. "This is where it all starts tomorrow," Rick shouted out as he looked back to everyone, "Tobin gets in the truck and opens the exit and we're off. He hops out and joins up with his team at red staying on the _west side_ of the road. Daryl gets on his bike with Kathryn riding behind him." At that moment, we all heard a noise, causing him to stop where he was in his talking to look back at the walkers.

"Dad _look_ ," Kat shouted from beside me as she pointed to the two trucks on the other side of the quarry. I dropped my hand from above my eyes when I had been shielding them, and seconds after I dropped it, Kat had grabbed my hand just like when we'd been back on the farm and Randall had been missing. We watched as the truck on the edge of the cliff leading out of the quarry fell over the side, gaining every walker's attention. Kat gripped my hand tighter as they slowly started leaving out of the quarry, heading for home.


	117. Following the Plan

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I watched from beside Daryl as everyone went crazy around us. Everyone was freaking out, except for those of us that had been put in a somewhat similar situation at least once before. "We gotta do this now," Dad shouted out as he hopped down from where he had been standing when he was talking to everyone. "Kat c'mon," Daryl said as he grabbed ahold of my wrist and pulled me back towards his bike. "Sasha, Abraham," I heard Dad shout as we stopped at the bike, Daryl lifting up his crossbow and aiming towards the entrance that we were at. "Damn straight," Abraham remarked, "we'll do it live."

I watched as they both climbed into the car that was going to be riding with me and Daryl. "You'll meet Daryl and Kathryn at red," he shouted quickly before they closed the doors and couldn't hear him anymore, " _go_!" Glenn caught Dad's attention, talking about hitting the tractor place before the heard could get to it. "Glenn," I shouted out as I ran to him quickly and wrapping my arms tightly around him, "be careful!" "You too," he said returning the hug before his group ran off to get to the tractor place and deal with that problem.

"Kat," Daryl shouted, causing me to remember what was going on. I quickly ran back to stand behind him as we stood next to the bike, ready and waiting for the trucks to be moved so we could get this over with. "Daryl get ready," Dad shouted as Daryl tensed even more. " _They're coming_ ," he shouted, crossbow at the ready as I stood closer to the bike so I could get on as quickly as possible. "Tobin on my mark," Dad shouted out, "they're headed for home! Get ready with the flairs!" He lifted up his hand, waiting just a few seconds longer before quickly lowering it and shouting out.

Everyone started firing off rounds as the flairs went up and the truck was moved. I pulled my gun out that I always had with me now, aiming in the air and firing a few shots. As one walker pulled free from the trucks before one was even moved, Daryl fired an arrow into its skull before quickly putting the crossbow on his bike and climbing on. I put my gun away, back in the back waistband of my jeans, before running over to him and climbing on behind as he started the bike and revved it up.

I wrapped my arms around Daryl's waist as he rode off from the herd, but not too fast where they couldn't keep up and keep interested in us. I could hear Dad talking on the radio, telling everyone to keep focused and that we all knew where to meet up at. I placed my head on Daryl's back as many _worried_ thoughts filled my mind. I was worried about my family, worried about the people back home, worried about everyone on this run who was ill-prepared. I glanced back, keeping my head in contact with Daryl, watching as the walkers trailed behind us.

**DARYL'S POV**

I glanced back behind me, keeping an eye on how close the hoard was to us and trying to get a quick glance at Kat behind me as I felt her lean into me. This run had to be done, but it didn't mean that we were _okay_ with being the ones who almost always seemed to be doing it. "Alright," I heard Sasha over the walkie that I had hooked to my vest, "we're at red, at the bottom of the hill." Before I had a chance to answer, I felt Kat move her hand up and grabbed ahold of the walkie, pressing the button before moving it closer to her. "Hope y'all are ready," she said, "'cause here comes the parade."

I couldn't help but smile as the remark left her mouth. But as the time went on, it felt like _hours_ since the truck had fallen off that cliff and started all of this. Kat would turn around every now and then, my guess checking on the herd behind us, before settling with resting her chin back on my shoulder as her arms laid limply on my lap. "You know," I said loud enough so Kat could hear me over the roaring of the wind and my bike, "this could cause a problem." I felt Kat move to look at me, so I turned my head slightly to look at her, seeing this confused look on her face. I smiled before nodding down towards where her hands were.

I watched as she smiled at me before I looked back ahead of us, only to hear a faint sound. "What's that," Kat asked as I felt her move behind me as if she was turning around, " _Daryl_!" I looked back in time to see that a good many of the walkers were turning and going off into the woods. " _Rick_ ," I said into the walkie as I turned back to face the front. "I'm here," I heard his voice on the other end of the static. "What's going on back there," I said into it and waited for his reply, Kat's arms tightening around me as she waited too. "Half of them broke off," he said, "they're going towards Alexandria. They're headed for home."


	118. Gotta Protect Home

**KATHRYN'S POV**

My grip on Daryl only tightened when I heard that. Our home was at risk, and we still had so many following us. "What do we do," I said panicked, glancing from the back of Daryl's head and over to the car that held Abraham and Sasha. I watched as Abraham lifted up his hand holding their walkie before I heard his voice over ours. "Towards you," he asked as I felt my heart stop. "We ran ahead," Dad's voice replied, "there's a horn or something. Loud, coming from the east, and it's not stopping. I watched as Daryl moved his hand up to where he had our walkie before he spoke up.

"I'm gonna gas it up," he said, "turn back. Me and Kat, we'll come help you out." "We've got it," Dad said quickly, "you two keep going. We need you to help draw the rest of them away." "They're going to need our help," Daryl said back. I could feel the tension in Daryl's body. We _both_ wanted to get back to the others and help out. "Gotta keep the herd moving," came Dad's reply. "Not if it's going down we don't," Daryl shot back. "Listen Daryl," Dad said, "the rest of that herd turns back, the bad back there get's worse. I'm heading back with some of the others, to help Alexandria and protect Carl and Judy. Daryl I need you to keep Kathryn safe."

Daryl went silent, his voice seemingly gone after Dad said that. I watched as he glanced back at me over his shoulder, his hand still holding the walkie but not pressing any buttons. I could see it in his blue eyes, the battle going on in there on whether to stay out of it and keep me safe, or to go and risk loosing me and possibly everyone else at Alexandria. " _Daryl_ ," came Dad's voice, snapping him out of it. "Yeah I heard you," he finally said, lowering his hand back to the handlebar of the bike.

We rode on, I don't know how far, but I could tell after what Dad said that Daryl had been thinking hard about something. "What are you thinking," I asked in a whisper, just loud enough for him to hear but he didn't respond. Instead, he pulled up closer to the car we were riding with and called out. "Hey," he shouted out to get Abraham and Sasha's attention, "we gone 5 miles out yet?" "Give or take some yardage," Abraham said as he looked over at us, "you got a reason for asking?" "Next intersection we're gonna spin around and turn back," Daryl shouted out to him, glancing towards the car then back towards the road.

**DARYL'S POV**

"The plan is to go 15 more," Kat said from behind me. I glanced back at her before looking to Sasha and Abraham as they both looked at me like I was crazy. "Yeah," I said, "I'm gonna change that, 5's gonna have to work." "The magic number is 20," Abraham said, "that's the mission." "Daryl," I said lifing a hand up to grip his arm, "I want to get back faster too. But you heard Dad, we turn back too soon and everything goes to hell." "That's making sure they're off munching on raccoons instead of humans," Abraham cut in. "If you want to go," Sasha said looking over at me, "we can't stop you. But we _need_ you. Without you they could stop us."

I thought for a moment, glancing back at Kat every few seconds before glancing to Sasha and Abraham. "Nah," I said shaking my head, "I got faith in you. Kat hang on." I felt her arms wrap tighter around me as I revved up the engine, the sound of Sasha and Abraham calling after me as we pulled away from them. Seeing the sign for Alexandria before we left them, that had been my deciding point. That was our home now, for all of us. It was a place for Lil Ass-Kicker to grow up away from the geeks. And maybe, one day a place for me and Kat to raise a family, if she wants one.

Alexandria was more than just a gated community that would've been sold off to the ones who could afford it, people who weren't like me. It was more than a small safe-haven that we'd managed to find that held another relative for Kat inside. It was home. It was our home, just like the prison and farm had been. And each time we had a home like that, we protected it with everything we had. No point in stopping that cycle now. "We're gonna get back there," I said to Kat over the whistle of the wind, "we're gonna get back there and protect what's ours. We're gonna protect our _home_."


	119. Keep Going

**KATHRYN'S POV**

My arms wrapped tighter around Daryl's waist as the bike picked up speed, my head resting on the back of his shoulder as I waited and tried to prepare myself for what to expect when we reached Alexandria. I stayed quiet, both me and Daryl seeming lost in thought as we worked hard to get back as fast as we could. The more I thought about possibly loosing Alexandria, the more I thought about if I should tell Daryl now or not at all. If we lost this place, what's to say we'd survive out there with a newborn baby? We'd got lucky with Judy, she was born in the prison and spent about 6 months of her life behind that fence.

I was brought out of my thoughts though as soon as I heard a familiar voice over the walkie. "Daryl," Dad's voice came through with the static, "Kathryn?" "We're here," Daryl said quickly as I sat up slightly to peer up at him. "It won't be long now," Dad said though the walkie, "they're almost here. I'll get them going your way again. "How about _that_ Daryl," I heard Sasha's voice next over the walkie, "he's gonna be coming our way." "How did I know she was going to have a smart ass remark," I asked when he didn't have the button pressed for the walkie.

Daryl didn't say anything, just kept driving forwards as we continued on the path we were going. Dad's next words, scared me more than I would've liked. "There's gun fire coming from back home," he said, "we've gotta sit with it, and hope they can handle it. I think they can, they have to. We keep going forward for them. We can't turn back because we're afraid." "We ain't afraid," I heard Abraham's reply. I lowered my head back to Daryl's shoulder as I waited to hear more of what Dad had to say. "This," he said, "is for _them_. Going back now before it's done, that'd be for _us_."

Dad's end went silent again, but Daryl kept driving in the direction of home. I tightened my arms around Daryl's waist more as I waited anxiously for Dad to say something else. "The herd has to be almost here," Dad finally said after a few moments. But then, my heart seemed to stop. When it seemed like Dad was about to say something else, the sound of gun fire and Dad groaning or something came over the walkie instead. I quickly sat up and reached for the walkie, grabbing it and pressing the button before speaking into it. " _Daddy_ ," I all but shouted as I let got of the button and waited for his reply.

**DARYL'S** **POV**

I grabbed the walkie away from Kat's hand before talking into it myself. "Rick," I said and heard static back in return, " _Rick_." I glanced back to Kat, seeing the fear in her blue eyes as she looked up at me. If there was just one person that she worried most about since the fall of the world, it was Rick. "Hang on," I said and just as I felt her arms tighten around me, I leaned forward in the bike as I picked up speed, not really sure what I was doing yet. After a moment, I pulled to a stop on the side of the road and picked up the walkie. "Rick," I said into it. I looked back at Kat again before lowering my head only to lift it up and look back the way we'd came.

"Daryl," Kathryn's voice said in a hushed whisper, causing me to look back at her again. I turned slightly, still balancing the both of us and the bike, wrapping my arm closest to her around her shoulders and pulling her towards me. I squeezed her shoulder slightly before turning back to face forwards on the bike. "Hang on okay," I said as I waited for her to grab onto me again before I pulled off and back onto the road. "Daryl," Kat's voice reached my ears after a few moments, "where are we going?" "Back to help Sasha and Abraham," I said, "Rick was right. We keep with the plan."


	120. Scared

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I kept quiet, just did my part in all of this and helped Daryl and the others with keeping an eye on the walkers that were traveling behind us. I tried not to let my mind drift to Alexandria. The key word in that sentence being _tried_. I found myself every now and then thinking about my family back there, and the others. It was only when Daryl revved up the bike when I remembered where I was and what was happening around me.

It almost felt like hours before I finally heard Sasha's voice over the walkie. "Alright," she said, causing me to glance over at her as I felt Daryl shift slightly. "That's 20," he asked as I watched his head move so that he could glance over at her. "It will be," she said quickly, "642 is a mile ahead. Gotta put distance between us and them before the turn off." "So floor it," Abraham's voice came over the walkie.

"Y'all try to keep up," I said grabbing the walkie from Daryl before he could speak. He sent me a small smile before looking back ahead as Sasha spoke up. "Kathryn have you _seen_ this car," she asked which caused me to smile, "believe me we wanna get back there as much as y'all do." I glanced over my shoulder slightly, lowering my hand with the walkie before facing Daryl's back and hooking the walkie back onto his vest. As he started speeding up the bike, I quickly wrapped my arms around him and held on tight, hoping we'd be able to get back in time to help the others.

We were well on our way home now, we'd slowed down some since we lost sight of the walkers and there was enought space between us and them so that we didn't have to worry about them following us back home. But we weren't out of the woods yet, and neither was home. We were passing through this neighborhood when suddenly all these shots rang out from behind us. "Kat hang on," I heard Daryl shout to me as I let out a scream. I instinctively grabbed ahold tighter as he ducked while pulling off away from Sasha and Abraham.

**DARYL'S POV**

I glanced over my shoulder, trying to check on not only Sasha and Abraham in the car behind us, but to also check on Kat as she held on tightly behind me. I lost my balance with the bike when I was looking back, then over corrected it, causing both me and Kat to skid to the ground. I could hear Kat's scream from next to me as the bike slid away from us. I quickly jumped to my feet, adrenaline keeping me from collapsing to the ground as I helped Kat from the ground. "You okay," I asked. "Yeah," she said nodding, "get the bike." I nodded before turning to grab my downed bike, watching as a car passed by us and chased after Sasha and Abraham.

I climbed back onto the bike, starting it before looking over my shoulder and helping Kat on as she seemed to struggle a little. "Hang on tight," I said as she wrapped her arms around me once more and sped off away from the gun fire. I felt Kat patting my shoulder, causing me to look over my shoulder and cuss under my breath as I tried to loose them. "Daryl there's _two_ ," I heard Kat's voice cry out. Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted the second car that was following the first one.  "Hang on I'm gonna try and loose them," I said before speeding off.

Well I _did_ loose one of them at least. Doing some tight turns and dodging a couple walkers, we lost one car as it ran into the dumpster, but the Jeep kept following behind. Getting an idea, I gained enough distance between us as the followers, turning off into the woods far enough where they couldn't see us and just waited for them to pass. Once they'd gone by, I drove across the road and back into the woods, deciding it was best to stay off the main road as we tried finding our friends. I kept driving for a bit longer, before the adrenaline wore off and I could finally feel the pain from the wreck.

Slowing the bike down enough, I felt it start to tip as we both fell to the ground. I rolled over onto my back and glanced over at Kat as she laid there with her eyes closed. "You alright," I asked as she slowly opened her blue eyes and peered over at me. "Well," she said as she started to laugh, "at least I was smart enough to wear jeans today." I smiled at her as I watched her attempt to sit up before she cringed. "What's wrong," I asked, sitting up quickly. She didn't answer as I watched her lift up her shirt to reveal road rash on her side and disappearing below the waistband of her jeans.

I worked hard to get up, fighting through the pain before helping her stand to her feet. I kept my hands on her waist, careful of the road rash, as I waited for her to get her balance properly. I just stood there, watching as her eyes drifted down to my arm that I'd landed on. I looked down, seeing blood dripping from my fingers. With her help, I carefully pulled my jacket off before setting it down on my bike. "Looks painful," she said as she stared at it before her worried eyes drifted up to look at me. "I'll be alright," I said as I looked at her, "more worried about you."

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"Daryl," I said as I lowered my eyes, "I think there's something I need to tell you. And I wasn't planning on telling you like this, not _now_." "What," he asked as he used his good hand to lift my chin up so that I was peering up at him again. I was scared, I know he'd be furious when he found out, especially now with the situation we were in. But I had to tell him. My mind was treating this situation as if I might possibly loose him, because I knew deep down he'd risk his life to protect me and make sure I survived. So, taking a deep breath, I spoke two words that would change our lives. "I'm pregnant," I whispered as silence followed.


	121. Ambushed

**DARYL'S POV**

I stood there, just staring at Kat as she looked back up at me. "Say something," she finally said, " _please_." Just from her body language, I could tell she was scared and I don't think the fear was for the bastards that tried to kill us for no damn reason. I watched as she used her arms to wrap around herself, managing to lift her shirt up just barely to show off some of her stomach. And there, now that I knew it was there, you could see the slight swell at the top of her jeans. When my eyes drifted back up to her face, she was trying to keep the tears that were there from falling.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

He was scaring me with how silent he was being. He hadn't been this quiet since the start of this all. I wrapped my arms tighter around myself before he finally spoke up. "We'll talk about this when we get back to Alexandria with the others," he said, "for now we need to worry about how we're going to get back." I just nodded, I could almost sense the anger that he was trying to hold back and I had to be prepared for the backlash to not saying anything sooner about my _condition_.

I watched as he turned away, pulling out the walkie before speaking into it and trying to get contact with everyone else. When he didn't hear back from anyone, he looked back to his bike that we'd placed a bag on to hold some important stuff in case something like this happened. When he was bent down grabbing it, we both heard a noise off to the side, causing the both of us to quickly look towards the direction we thought it came from.

He quickly stood to his feet, placing the bag over his shoulders before grabbing his crossbow from the bike and finally covering the bike with a thicket to keep anyone from finding it by chance. Holding the crossbow at the ready, he gave me a look that said _stay behind me and stay quiet_. Nodding, I fell into step behind him as we eased our way through the trees, keeping a look out for any danger.

Well we didn't do too good of a job. We spotted these two girls but when the one talking to us looked back behind us, I looked back and got a sharp blow to the face and managed to see Daryl get wacked harder than me as we both fell to the ground. When I came to, my hands were tied in front of me and I had a major headache. I was leaned up against Daryl, and that man that had hit us both, he was standing in front of Daryl talking so that gave me reason to believe that Daryl was awake too.

**DARYL'S POV**

I looked up at the man in front of me, the bastard that'd hit me and Kat, as he held a gun in my face. "Here's the deal," the man said, "you don't say shit and I don't kill you both." "We ain't who you think," I said staring at him, unflinching. " _Get up_ ," the guy said as he jerked me to my feet before doing the same to Kat. When he let her go, I watched her falter for a second, like she was going to fall. Acting quickly, I moved to grab her before she could fall, watching as the prick just stared at us like we were stupid. "Move it," he said when he seemed to have gotten irritated with us not moving.

I helped Kat get her footing before we finally fell in step behind the two girls and the prick fell in behind us. I kept myself between her and the bastard, making sure he'd have to go through me first if he wanted to get to her. I watched as the girls in front of us passed an almost empty bottle of water back and forth before the one who'd been leading stopped and tried to hand it to me. I just walked on by her, Kat staying right with me. We didn't need, and I sure as hell didn't _want_ her help. The prick didn't like the cold shoulder we gave the girl, because he stormed up to us and grabbed the bottle from her.

"We don't need you both passing out on us," he said before he held the bottle to me. I sent him a glare before taking the bottle and handing it to Kat. "She needs it more than me," was all I said as I waited for her to take it from me. Hesitantly, Kat took the water and drank some before handing the bottle back to me with the last little bit inside. "Why is that," the girl who'd tried to offer the water to me spoke up as I tipped back the last of the water. "She's pregnant," was all I said as I handed the bottle back before moving forwards, pushing Kat in front of me to get her moving.


	122. Trying to Get Away

**KATHRYN'S POV**

Daryl hadn't said much more after pushing me to get moving. But at least he acknowledged that I was pregnant, didn't mean he was okay with it though. We kept to ourselves, staying silent as the three began talking about their plans to pick up someone named Patty and get the hell out of there. Made me wonder what they planned to do with the two of us after. Hell they kept talking like they knew who we were, talking about us kneeling or something. All I could do was give them a look that said _what the hell_.

I didn't miss when the guy said something about being stupid, then Daryl had to go and push his buttons by asking if he didn't think what they were doing now with the two of us wasn't stupid. I sent a glare towards Daryl as the guy continued to point his gun at me then at Daryl, going back and forth between the two of us. "Look we got somewhere we gotta be," Daryl said as he glanced over at me before looking back at the dude, "we can make you a deal, help you out." "You're one of them," the guy said, "you're hurt, she's pregnant, and you're both alone out here. Either one of you would do or say _anything_. We should've never trusted your people."

I opened my mouth, made to say something about correcting him, but the sight of Daryl glaring at me caused me to quickly close it and stay silent. The man takes the silence as him being right about us before using the gun and pushing us forwards, telling us to keep going. This time we're the ones leading but we all stop once we reach this small clearing and hear all this moaning and growling. I instantly smell the stench and lift my bound hands in an attempt to cover my nose. My movement doesn't go unnoticed by Daryl, but the other three don't even care to see my discomfort from the smell.

**DARYL'S POV**

I kept my eyes on Kat, watching her as she struggled with the smell of the rotting walkers. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the other three, talking and seeming to have forgotten about us. Walking over to Kat, I grabbed her arm with my hands, earning a startled look from her. "When I say run," I whisper quickly to her, "you run and do not stop. Do you understand me?" She nodded, not saying a word, as we both looked back to the people who were keeping us hostage. I was waiting for our chance, and we got it when the girl with short hair collapsed to the ground and her companions' attention. " _Now_ ," I shouted to Kat as I pushed her towards the trees before I reached for the bag.

The sound of gun shots sounding behind me as I reached the trees earned a shriek from Kat. " _Keep moving_ ," I shouted as I quickly caught up to her. I moved in front of her, leading the way but making sure she was keeping up, before I found a fallen tree that had a dip in the ground beside it so that we could hunker down. I quickly pulled off the ropes binding my wrists together before moving to hers. I looked up at her as she started breathing heavily while I made quick work of the ropes. "You okay," I asked once her wrists were free. "Just a little winded," she said as she looked to the bag I had grabbed.

I saw the item she was eyeing, our walkie. Grabbing it, I pressed the button before speaking. "Sasha," I said, "Abraham, you there?" Letting go of the button, I waited to see if we'd hear back from the two. But when no sound came through other than the static, I sat the walkie down and leaned back to try and catch my breath. I watched as Kat sat forwards, grabbing the bag and opening it up to see what was inside. She pulled out my crossbow and handed it over to me before she stilled at what she spotted. Inside, was a cooler that was marked _Insulin, must be kept cool_.


	123. Finding A Way Back

KATHRYN'S POV

We took the cooler back to them, always knew we would. But in doing so, we got caught up in whatever problem it was they had. Finally met the people they were running from, well sort of met them. And they finally figured out that we weren't who they thought we were. But shit quickly went down hill after we got away from those people. The group of three lost the girl who'd been sick, she fell into a melted walker and it all but ate her alive it seemed. After Daryl and the other guy got her buried, we planned on going back to Alexandria to get help for them, but that didn't happen.

We turned our back for a second while on Daryl's bike, and the next second, the guy had the gun aimed at me because he knew just from the little time we were with them that Daryl would do anything they said if it delt with me. Daryl was attempting to pull his crossbow off when he noticed the gun was aimed at me. I wasn't flinching, wasn't the first time a gun was aimed in my direction and it wouldn't be the last. I just stared at them as they moved closer to the bike. "I'm sorry," the guy said as Daryl let his hands down and came to stand next to me.

I looked over at Daryl, really hoping he wouldn't do anything stupid as the guy kept his gun aimed at me. "Give her the crossbow," he said as he turned his gun to Daryl for a second before aiming it back to me when Daryl made no move to comply. I finally jumped, after Daryl was arguing with the guy and the guy shot a round off to my side. "Daryl," I said in a harsh whisper as I closed my eyes, not wanting to see what was about to happen. I only opened them once more when I could hear the sound of movement, watching as he handed it off to that girl.

DARYL'S POV

I felt Kat move closer to me and grabbed my hand, watching as the guy handed his girl the gun while he started my bike. "Patch yourself up," the girl said as she dug out a couple bandages and tossed them towards us as she climbed onto the back of the bike with him, "we're sorry." "You're gonna be," I said with a slight nod of my head as I squeezed Kat's hand in mine. I watched as they drove off before I let go of Kat's hand and turned, walking off in a random direction. "We're gonna be okay right," I heard Kat ask softly after a few minutes of silence. "Yeah," I said glancing over my shoulder at her for a moment before facing forwards again.

I looked around for a moment, noticing Kat doing the same thing from beside me, before I noticed a sign or something on the ground. While I was brushing it off to see what it was, I noticed Kat's feet moving by me from the corner of my eye. "Hey Daryl," Kat said when she came to a stop, causing me to lift my head up and see what she was looking at. Noticing the same thing, I rose to my full height and walked over the the tree branches that didn't seem to belong where they were.

We walked over to the branches, and started moving them until what had been hidden was in plain sight. "This must be the truck they drove to burn this whole wooded area," Kat said as we stood back from the tanker. "It's ours now," I said looking over at her before walking towards the cab. Making quick work of the walker inside, I climbed in on the driver's side and started the truck while Kat walked around and climbed in on the passenger's side. "Let's find the others and go home," Kat said looking at me when the truck started, this small smile on her face. "Yeah," I said with a slight nod before putting the truck in gear.


	124. The Saviors

**KATHRYN'S POV**

We found Abraham and Sasha in a little town near where we'd been jumped. They'd left us a sign on the door to the building they were hiding in that read _DIXON_ which we later found out that Sasha scratched on to it. Abraham was wearing some random military uniform that he found while we were dealing with those people. So when we left, we were all packed into the cab of the tanker. Sasha and Abraham were sitting side by side on the passenger side with him by the door and her in the middle. I was lucky there was enough room between Daryl and the steering wheel, because I found myself on Daryl's lap for the ride.

I was turned to the side slightly, my legs in the little space between Daryl and Sasha as I rested my head on his shoulder. When I'd look up at his face, I could see that he was deep in thought, or focusing really hard on the road in front of us. Hell, it could've been both. But I knew if I guessed, on what he was deep in thought about, I knew I'd get it right. He only mentioned once that I was pregnant, and he still hadn't said anything to me about it.

The more I thought about it, the more anxious I got about what he'd say when he _did_ talk to me about it. I was quickly pulled out of my thoughts however when I noticed the car was slowing down. Moving slightly, I looked out the front windshield to see a group of men on motorcycles in front of us, blocking the road. "Daryl," I whispered as he pulled the tanker to a stop and glanced down at me. "Why don't you come on out," the guy standing at the front of the group said once we'd come to a complete stop and stared at him and his buddies.

**DARYL'S POV**

I watched as Sasha and Abraham climbed out first, Kat following behind them from their side before I climbed out on mine. We all came to a stop in front of the tanker, Kat and Sasha between me and Abraham. I could tell Kat was nervous, she had a brave face on, but there was only so much she could take right now. I wanted to move closer to her, to protect her like I've been doing since the start of all of this. But I knew, I knew if I made a move towards her and these bastards were looking for a weakness, they'd see that and use it against me and her.

So I just stayed where I was beside her, my attention on them but also on _her_. The douche in charge, had us hand over our side arms. Glancing at Kat, I waited as he walked up to me first and took mine before moving down the line to her. I didn't miss the remark he made about her, forcing me to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from jumping on him right then and there. When he walked away from her and on to Sasha, watched as she glanced at me and gave a small shake of her head. Almost like she knew what I was thinking.

When the jerk made his way back to the motorcycle he'd obviously rode up on, he asked what else we had on us. Didn't seem to believe that what he took was all we had. When he told one guy to take me to the back and see what else we had, I noticed Kat tense up slightly as her eyes darted over towards me. Doing it so they didn't know what I was doing, I moved my hand so she saw to stand down and not move. I notice her glare she was sending to the men in front of us before I was pushed to the back.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

There was no denying that I was scared for Daryl. Like I knew Daryl had done earlier, I was biting my tongue so that I didn't put us in any more danger that we probably were. Abraham had to go and ask a question about who Negan was, causing the dirt bag in front of us to pull our own guns out on us. "You see," the man started, "usually we introduce ourselves by just popping on of you right off the bat. But you seem like reasonable people. I mean you're sporting dress blues for Christ sake." I felt sick to my stomach as he continued talking, mentioning how he said they were going to drive us back to our home to see what we had back there.

I watched as his eyes moved over to me before moving back to Abraham as he kept talking. "But I told you," he said eyeing Abraham, "not to ask any questions. And then what does this ginger do? Tell me sweetheart, you going to be a smart mouth ginger too and ask a question you shouldn't?" I watched as he aimed his gun at my head, waiting for me to answer him but I kept my mouth shut. "Good," he said with a nod before looking back to Abraham. I knew I shouldn't have, but I tuned them out as I glanced around towards the direction Daryl had left with that guy. I looked back only when I heard Sasha shouting for him to wait. In that next second, they were in flames, causing me to cover my face from the sudden blast.


	125. Saving Alexandria

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I was thrown back from the sudden blast as I had covered my face. When I landed on my ass, a sharp pain shot up through my spin, causing me to groan out as I could only sit there a moment. When I was able to look over to my left, Daryl was walking back to the front with a grenade launcher over his shoulder. I couldn't help but laugh out once at the sight of him before looking to my right and seeing Abraham and Sasha already on their feet. When I looked back to Daryl, his eyes were on me.

His face was a mask but I could see in his eyes that he was clearly worried since I had yet to stand up. "Here," Sasha said as she held her hand out to me. "Thanks," I said, gladly taking it and allowing her to help me back to my feet as the three of us moved over to where Daryl stood. "He was tougher than he looked," Daryl said as he turned from us for a second as we continued to follow him. "Did he cut you," I asked when I noticed the blood on the back of his vest.

**DARYL'S POV**

"A little," I said to Kat's question as I sensed her walk up behind me before I felt her place her hand on my shoulder, "what a bunch of assholes." "Let's get you fixed up at home," Sasha said smiling at me from over Kat's shoulder. "Yes ma'am," I said with a nod as I moved away from Kat and opened the door, allowing her to climb into the cab ahead of me. Soon as I climbed in behind her, she was back on my lap with her head once again on my shoulder as I backed away from the burning bits of bodies and bikes. Once we were well on our way, I found myself absentmindedly with my hand on Kat's thigh before it moved up to the small swell at her stomach.

I glanced down when I felt her place her own hand on top of mine. That was when I realized where my hand was resting. Glancing back up for a second, I checked the road to make sure nothing was in the way or that I was veering of the road, then I looked back down at her as she moved her head to peer up at me. "I won't go on anymore runs once we get back home," she said in a small whisper as her eyes connected with mine, "I promise." I didn't say a word, just looked at her for a second longer before looking back up to the road. I left my hand where it was, it seemed like it was keeping her at ease.

It was dark by the time we made it back to Alexandria, Kat had fallen asleep but woke back up when we saw the state of the place. Abraham and Sasha stood up top, firing into the herd of walkers invading our home before finally talking to whoever was on the other side and having them open the door. Kat was seated in the passenger seat until the gate opened and revealed a bloodied Glenn. " _Glenn_ ," she cried, jumping out of the cab and running to him. I watched them hug, but his eyes remained on the lookout beside us, watching as Sasha and Abraham helped Maggie and Enid down from where they were.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

Me and Glenn ran back to the cab of the tanker, climbing in and closing the door behind us. Daryl asked Glenn what happened but he said he knew about as much as us. They started trying to think up ways of getting rid of the walkers when I stopped them with Glenn suggesting leading some away. "No we tried that," I said shaking my head, "Daryl do you think there's enough gas left in this tanker? I have an idea." "I think I know what you're thinkin'," Daryl said with a nod before beating on the roof of the cab to signal to the others to hang on.


	126. Aftermath

**DARYL'S POV**

We backed the tanker up to the small pond that had been with Alexandria, me and Kat in the back as everyone kept the walkers from us while we poored gas into the water to use as a distraction. Once the tank was empty, me and Kat climbed up on top with her sitting down while the truck drove forwards slightly with everyone else inside the cab. Once we were a safe enough distance away, I stood with the launcher in my hands and aimed it at the water, firing it and igniting the water instantly.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

The plan worked. Mine and Daryl's plan actually worked as walkers began moving towards the burning body of water. We were all out there fighting for our home. I nearly cried with relief when I spotted Dad. But I couldn't get distracted, I had to keep fighting until the last walker had been taken out. And we managed to do it, all the walkers were down and _dead_ when the first signs of daybreak were appearing over the horizon. I made my way over to Dad the second the last walker had fallen to the ground, wrapping him in a near bone crushing hug. We stayed like that for several moments before finally pulling away.

"Where's Carl," I asked as I looked around for my kid brother. At that moment, I watched Dad's face fall before he turned and ran in the direction of the small doctor's office. Fearing the worst, I was right behind Dad, the sound of the others following behind us reaching my ears. When we got to the room, we busted inside and came to a stand still. I stood there, staring at my brother's still form as tears began to slowly fall down my cheeks. I felt Dad pull me into his arms, allowing me to bury my face into his chest as tears began to pour.

I could hear movement from behind us as I kept my face in my dad's chest. The sound of the footsteps told me right away that it was Daryl as he was shuffled off to the side and I guess being taken care of for that cut on his shoulder. I pulled away from Dad, looking over at Carl, as I tried to steady myself when I remembered I shouldn't get too stressed out. Well more than I'd already had to deal with since that run started. "Carl," I whispered out as I pulled away from Dad completely and walked over to the left side of his bed.

I peered over to where there was a chair, grabbing it and moving closer to his bed, before sitting down and grabbing his hand in mine. I didn't like that it didn't feel as warm as it should. "He's stable for now," Denise said as she walked over to the other side of the bed Carl was on after helping Daryl, "the best thing for him now would be to wake up." I looked up at her and nodded before watching as she turned and left the room, giving us the space we needed. I turned my attention to Daryl as he moved to stand behind me before I felt his hand on the back of my shoulder.

**DARYL'S POV**

I hadn't been there when Kat lost her mom, hell I didn't even find out until well after the fall of the prison. But if I had to guess, how she was reacting now would probably be damn near to how she reacted then. I looked around the room as I watched Michonne walk in with Lil Ass-kicker in her arms before moving to stand next to Rick. He looked just as broken as Kat, seeing his middle child lying there, motionless. When Denise had been fixing up my shoulder, she'd told me that he'd been shot. Poor kid.

I turned my attention down to look at Kat as she started speaking. "Carl," she whispered out, "you have to come back from this. You didn't let a bullet take you last time when it hit the both of us, don't let it take you this time. I can't lose my kid brother. Not before he gets a chance to meet his niece or nephew first at least." I heard an intake of breath, watching as Kat seemed to hear it too before she slowly lifted her head to look towards Rick and Michonne. I looked up also to see them both staring at her. "What," was all her father said.


	127. Rick's Reaction

**RICK'S POV**

I stood there, next to Michonne who had Judy in her arms, staring at my eldest child as she just told her unconscious brother that she was pregnant. I didn't miss Daryl moving back slightly from where he stood next to her, but he didn't have a shocked expression that should've been there had he not known before the run that she was pregnant. "Surprise," she said nervously as she kept ahold of Carl's hand and stayed where she was seated. "How long have you known," I asked, keeping my voice calm.

"Since just before we found out about that herd of walkers in the quarry," she said as I watched her look over her shoulder towards Daryl, "but Daryl didn't find out until the day before yesterday." "And you went on that run anyway," I asked in a calm voice, "knowing that it could be dangerous for you _and_ the baby you're carrying?" "I had to," she said as she lowered her head, "I wanted to help make sure that this place would still be here for it to grow up safely. I told Daryl on the way back here that I wouldn't go on any more runs, knowing I'd be safer here until it was born."

**DARYL'S POV**

"And how do you feel about all of this Daryl," Rick asked as he turned his gaze to me. "Don't know yet," I said before heading towards the door, "I'm headed to the house. Let me know if Carl wakes up." I didn't wait for them to try and stop me. I needed my space. Hadn't been able to fully digest what Kat had told me, about her being pregnant and knowing all this time. I still don't know how I should feel about her having known for so long before telling me. I'm sure she had her reasons, but I still felt I should've known before now that she was pregnant with my child. I figured when everything settled down, and Carl was okay, then she and I would have a little sit down and talk about all of this.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I watched silently as Daryl walked out of the room Carl was in. He still didn't say much about me being pregnant and the more I was forced to wait for him to say something, the more I feared the backlash I would possibly get from this the more it seemed severe. "He didn't take the news too well did he," Dad asked after having noticed the way Daryl didn't say much for his question about me. "I don't know," I answered, "when I told him I was pregnant, it wasn't at the _best_ of times and I had really and truthfully been looking for a better way to tell him."

I watched Dad open his mouth and get ready to say something, but my attention went straight to my hand when I felt Carl's hand squeeze my own. I quickly looked to his face, watching for any sign that he'd open his eye. Slowly, I watched as he opened his eye to look around before it landed on me. "You're pregnant," his voice said quietly and weakly. "Yeah buddy," I said laughing as I tried to keep the tears back, "I am. You're going to be an uncle. Dad will be a grandfather."

"Hey now," Dad said, causing me to turn to look at him and laugh. "Our family's really growing huh," Carl said smiling at me. "Yeah it is," I said with a nod, "first with Judy and now with this one." I placed my free hand on my stomach, looking down at it before lifting my head to look back to Carl. "Don't forget about Daryl," he said, "he's part of the family too, because of you." "We'll see if he _still_ is," I said sadly, "ever since he found out, the two of us have been on kind of shaky grounds." "Why don't you go talk to him," Dad said walking over, "I'll sit in with Carl."


	128. The Talk

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I walked pass everyone that was sitting outside of the house that my brother was in. I told them he was awake and that I needed to head to the house and talk to Daryl. They let me by without another question and so I found myself walking down the small street in the early morning light. I had my arms wrapped around me as I drew closer to the house, and the fear of what me and Daryl _needed_ to talk about was creeping back into my mind.

I stood outside of the house for a moment, staring up at the whole place, before finally making my way up slowly to the front door and then finally inside. Closing the door quietly behind me, I looked around to see if he was downstairs. "Daryl," I called out quietly when I didn't see him, knowing he'd hear me in the silent house. Sighing when I didn't get an answer, I began making my way up the stairs to our room, figuring if he was anywhere in this house then that's where he'd be.

When I reached the top of the stairs and walked down the small hallway at the top, I came to our room where the door was partly closed. "Tarzan," I said softly as I pushed the door open and spotted Daryl sitting at the foot of the bed. "You haven't called me that in some time," he said out, voice just as quiet as mine had been. I stood there in the door, not sure what to do, as I just stared at him and waited for him to say something. "Daryl," I finally said, "we really need to talk."

**DARYL'S POV**

"Yeah," I said with a nod as I finally looked up to where Kat stood, "we do." I watched as she grew tense and stood there for a moment longer before finally walking into the room and closing the door behind her. "Can I just ask _one_ thing Kathryn," I asked when she'd walked to stand in front of me. "Of course," she said with a nod. "Why," I asked, "why did you think it was okay to _not_ tell me this as soon as you found out?"

"I don't know," she whispered out quietly, "I tried to wrap my head around the fact that I was _actually_ pregnant. And then I tried to find the right time to tell you." "And you thought the right _time_ was after we'd lost track of Sasha and Abraham," I asked as my voice began to rise, "when we'd wrecked the bike with the two of us on it?" "I got scared," she said as she closed her eyes and lifted her hands to cover her face, "I never planned to tell you at that moment but it slipped out because I was afraid I'd lose you before we got back to the safety of Alexandria."

She stopped talking as her voice began to crack and I watched her take in a shuttering breath. "Oh Kat," I said as I stood up from the bed and walked up to her, wrapping her in a tight hug as I tucked her head under my chin. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner Daryl," she sobbed, "and I know I shouldn't have gone on that run because something _always_ goes wrong, but you know me by now. And I meant what I said before, that I won't go on any more runs for a while. No one will let me as soon as they find out." "Don't worry about all of that for now," I said into the top of her head.

"Are you mad at me," she asked as she made a fist into the shirt I was wearing. "No," I said as I squeezed her tighter, "I was never mad." "I really am sorry," she said as she pulled away to look up at me. "I know," I whispered back before kissing the top of her head. I pulled away and moved back, sitting once again on the edge of the bed before grabbing her hips. Pulling her closer to me so that she stood between my legs, I lifted up the bottom of her shirt to reveal the small bump. Smiling up at her, I looked back down and placed a light kiss on it.


	129. Telling the Group

**KATHRYN'S POV**

Me and Daryl stayed in our room after _finally_ having the well overdue talk about the baby that was on the way. Today, we talked with Dad, asking him to get everyone from our group to meet in the living room for a little meeting. I was nervous, because only a few people knew about the pregnancy and the ones who _should've_ known only recently found out. But, Daryl and I were okay now, he had fully accepted it and told me he'd sadly been hoping that eventually we'd be able to find somewhere safe enough to start a family.

Don't know how I should feel about knowing that he's been wanting something like this for a while now. But I'm happy that he's so accepting of me being pregnant. We sat in the living room, side by side with Judy in my lap, as we waited for everyone to walk in. I watched Glenn and Maggie share a look as the last few came in before everyone’s attention turned to where Dad sat next to me on my other side. “Right,” Dad said as he stood to his feet, “Kathryn wanted me to ask you all here so that she could speak to everyone at once.”

I watched as all heads turned towards me as Dad remained standing, staring down at me as he waited for me to stand as well. I felt Daryl’s hand on my thigh, causing me to look over at him to see him give me an encouraging nod of his head. Returning the nod, I stood to my feet and handed Judith over to Dad as he took his seat back beside where I had been moments ago. “So,” I started nervously as I stared at all of my closest friends, “some of you know what this is about, others are probably wondering.”

**DARYL’S POV**

I watched as Kat seemed to get nervous all over again with telling everyone what she needed to tell them. I sat forwards slightly, gripping her hand and causing her to look down at me. “You’ve got this Kat,” I whispered to her and squeezed her hand tightly. “Well,” she started again, “a select few of you knew about me and Daryl being together. Others didn’t because we didn’t openly broadcast our relationship to the world after having kept it a secret for so long in the beginning. But I’ve asked to have this small meeting because I thought it only fair to tell you all first before the rest of the community. I’m pregnant.”

I looked out to the others in the group to see what their reactions would be. Most were happy, although shock was there. Others were mainly shocked. I watched with a smile as both Maggie and Glenn walked up to her and hugged her tightly. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you Kathryn,” Maggie said as she held her at arm’s length, “I’m pregnant too.” “Oh my God,” Kat said with a wide smile as she hugged her best friend tightly to her while everyone else seemed to catch on to what had just been said between the two girls.

“Congratulations Maggie,” Rick said as he and I both stood beside them. I wrapped my arm around Kathryn’s shoulders as she leaned into me while we watched everyone else from the group walk over to congratulate both women on their announcements. “Just remember your promise to me,” I muttered into Kat’s ear as I practically nuzzled my nose into the side of her head just above her ear. “I haven’t forgotten Dixon,” she said with a smirk as she moved her head so she could look back at me, “no more runs for a while. I won’t put myself or this baby in danger like that again.” “Good,” I said as I placed a light kiss to her temple, glad to see she was thinking about _her_ wellbeing now.


	130. Before A Run

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I sluggishly opened my eyes as the morning sun slowly filtered into the window from my side of the room. The past few nights, I hadn't been getting much sleep from the baby moving around so much. It made me happy that it was still seeming healthy and that I didn't have to worry about it being a stillborn so far and eating me from the inside out. That was still one thing that scared me, but I refused to tell everyone else about my fears of being eaten alive by my own child.

I was brought out of my thoughts by the sound of movement from behind me on Daryl’s side of the room. Rolling over slightly, I looked back to see Daryl working on getting dressed with his back to me. He was in nothing more than his pants, no shirt on to cover his scar covered back. I still remember that night when I saw them for the first time. He’d been injured and didn’t even know I had walked into the room until he heard my gasp of shock. Never expected him to tell me what they were from, but that night he did, seeming to have sensed trust in me or something.

“You done staring Kat,” Daryl’s voice asked, breaking me out of my thoughts and causing me to lift my eyes up to stare into the blue orbs that belonged to the man I never thought would care for me the way I care for him. “Sorry,” I said with a smile as I felt a blush color my cheeks but refused to look away from him, “just enjoying the view really.” My reply caused him to blush in return as he turned his back to me once more and walked over to his _pile_ of clothes and pick up a shirt.

I laid back on the bed, placing my head on my pillow once more, as my senses returned to me and I could hear the loud music coming from my younger brother’s room. How the _hell_ I slept so long through all that noise I will never know. He even sounded like he was throwing a ball against the wall. I was so happy he’d completely pulled through after that shot to the head, don’t know what I’d do without him here.

He’d been getting better each day until he finally got to come home a few weeks ago, and he’s been tossing the ball like that ever since. I felt the bed on my side dip down even more, causing me to look over to see Daryl sitting there, staring at me. “Where are you and Dad going today,” I asked as I watched him move his right hand to rest just on my left side so that he was leaning over me slightly. “Just a supply run,” he said peering down at me, “getting low. Going to look for some other places to hit that might help us out.”

**DARYL’S POV**

I watched as Kat nodded her head, blue eyes meeting mine as she just laid there on the bed. I was happy that she’d kept to her word about not going on any more runs. Glenn often brought her over prenatal vitamins that he found while out scavenging himself, getting some for both her and Maggie. “Look after yourself and my dad please,” she said as she moved her hand, closest to the one I was leaning on, and placing it on my own hand. “I always do,” I said with a nod, leaning down and placing a kiss on her lips before moving down to the now very prominent bump she had and placing another kiss there.

I felt Kat run her fingers through my hair as I placed my ear to her stomach, listening to her stomach where our baby was. This was a new experience for the both of us, and the best we could do was to take it one step at a time. “Alright Daryl,” she said laughing, “help me up would you? I want to go talk to Dad before y’all leave for the run.” Smiling, I straightened up and then stood to my feet all together, holding my hands out to her. Once she took them, I helped her sit up on the bed before finally helping her up off the bed completely.

Once she was steady on her feet, I stepped back slightly. “I’m going to go check with Denise,” I said when I finally let her go completely, “see if there’s anything she needs me to get for the little doctor’s office we have here. Do you need anything Kat?” “Not that I can think of,” she said shaking her head, “Glenn just brought me another bottle of prenatal vitamins last week, so I’m still good on them. You can start looking for stuff like diapers if you want to.” Nodding, I watched as she slowly made her way out of the door before heading towards her Dad’s room. Once she’d made it inside, I made my way downstairs and out of the house, looking for Denise.


	131. Stranger Inside

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I spent a majority of the day with Carl and Judy, taking the time away from them only to go and talk with Denise about the fact that it wouldn't be too long before this baby was born. I needed to know she would be okay with helping to deliver this baby. I couldn't ask Maggie to do this, not again, not after she helped Lori and then Lori ended up dying. I couldn't ask that of Maggie.

Dad and Daryl had been gone all day, and I was worried that they hadn't gotten back sooner, but I had the feeling that they were okay for now and that I was just being a worry-wart. So I kept my mouth shut for now on them not returning yet. I was seated out on the front porch with Carl and Judy, Carl showing our younger sister the stars and pointing out different things. "You do realize that she'll have forgotten _everything_ you're telling her by the time she gets older right," I asked with a laugh.

This caused Carl to turn to face me, stick out his tongue and then finally turn back to look at the stars and continue on with what he was saying. I smiled back at him and shook my head before sitting back in my chair and placing my hand on my pregnant belly. Carl's enthusiasm for my pregnancy had been much like it'd been when he learned his mom had been pregnant with Judy. I loved seeing my little brother cuddling with our younger sister, loving her as much as me and Dad did.

I was brought out of my thoughts when I spotted Michonne walking up onto the porch. "Hey," she whispered, causing both me and Carl to reply with a greeting as well. I watched as her eyes darted from Carl and Judy, over to me and then back again as she regarded all of us. "You have a good day," she asked looking back and forth between us. "Yeah," I said with a nod, "nice quality sibling bonding time. Speaking of time, Carl I think it's time I get little Judith to bed for the night. Otherwise I don't think she'll sleep all night."

"Okay," he whispered as he handed her over to me once I stood to my feet. "I'll be right back," I said with a smile to Michonne before and made my way inside the house. As soon as I laid her down in her bed, she was fast asleep, the fastest I'd seen her fall asleep ever. When I made it back to the door, I could hear Carl and Michonne talking about something. Stopping just at the door, I could make out the ending of their discussion.

"It should be someone who's family," he said to her, "I'd do it for you." Deciding I didn't need to pry on the conversation any more than I already had when I didn't know what they were talking about, I turned and walked towards the living room and took a seat on the couch. They both came in not long after, Carl saying goodnight as he headed upstairs while Michonne walked into the living room and sat down beside me.

**DARYL'S POV**

Rick and I carried the guy into the little _holding_ _cell_ the people here had made, laying him on the ground. "It is pretty stupid of us to go out there isn't it," he said as we walked back to the door. "Uh-huh," I said watching him before we made our way out. "Do it again tomorrow," he asked. "Yep," I replied before we both headed towards the house. When we made it inside, Kat was fast asleep on one couch and Michonne was occupying another as she watched over her. "Said she wouldn't leave that spot until y'all both returned," Michonne said when she noticed the two of us.

"Need any help getting her upstairs," Rick asked as I walked over to where she lay on the couch. "Nah," I said shaking my head, "I got her. 'Night you two." "Night Daryl," Rick said with a nod as I slowly and carefully picked Kat up and began to climb the stairs. When I reached our room, I laid her down on the bed on her side before pulling off the jeans she wore and her shirt. Moving over to my clothes, I grabbed one of my shirts that she loved so much and put it on her before covering her up.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I woke up some time in the middle of the night, Daryl in bed next to me with his arm wrapped around me slightly. Smiling at him, I couldn't help but stare at the man who at one time thought he wasn't worthy of love from someone else, well that is until I remembered why I woke up in the first place. I _really_ had to pee. After quickly making my way to the bathroom in the hallway and relieving my full bladder, I began making my way slowly back to mine and Daryl's room when I spotted a man sitting on the stair case and Carl pointing a gun to his head.

"Who the hell are you," I said walking up to them, earning a look from the guy as Carl kept his eye on the stranger in our house. I watched as his eyes looked me up and down, reminding me that I was in nothing more than Daryl's shirt, but I wasn't about to back down without finding out who the hell he was and what the hell he wanted in our home. "People call me Jesus," he said calmly as he looked back in front of himself, "and I'm waiting on your parents to get up and get dressed." Confused at his words, I looked back behind me to see Dad and Michonne walking out of Dad's room, half dressed.


	132. Jesus

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I stared at Dad and Michonne, waiting for one of them to talk first. I heard our front door open and looked over the railing to see several of our friends running up our steps with guns drawn. I heard quick moving steps from behind me and turned to see Daryl coming out of our room with his shirt off and a pair of pants on but not fastened, gun also in his hand with his shirt in the other. I looked back to the man in front of us, him seeming to not be affected by all the guns aimed at him.

I watched as Dad finished getting dressed as he told the others to take the man downstairs. “Go back to bed Kat,” Daryl said to me as he walked over to stand next to me after pulling his shirt on over his head. “No,” I said shaking my head, “won’t be able to sleep while he’s in this house. I’m just going to go change then I’ll meet y’all downstairs.” He didn’t say a word as he regarded me before nodding his head and moving down the stairs. I returned to our room and got changed into another pair of jeans and a tank top as it was already starting to get warm as the sun slowly began to rise up.

When I made it downstairs, they had sat the man in the dining room and Dad was seated across from him on the other side of the table. Michonne and Carl were seated with them in other seats around the table. “Here,” Michonne said as she stood from her seat and allowed me to take it. The man who said he was called Jesus looked over at me before looking back to Dad. “Your eldest daughter correct,” he asked and watched as Dad nodded before he looked back to me, “congratulations on the baby. Do you know when you’re due?”

**RICK’S POV**

“You wanted to talk for a reason,” I said cutting in as I watched Kathryn place her hand almost protectively over her stomach, “so how’d you get out?” “One guard can’t cover two entrances,” he said looking back at me as he relaxed into his chair we’d sat him in. I listened as he talked about how he’d gotten out before he mentioned checking out our arsenal. “But your previsions are low for the number of people you have,” he said, “54, plus the one on the way?” He nodded towards where Kathryn sat, Daryl instinctively moving to the other side of the room to stand next to her and protect her should he need to.

**DARYL’S POV**

“It’s more than that,” Kat said from in front of me as she glanced over to Maggie and Glenn on her other side. I watched as he stared at Kat before looking over towards Maggie, getting what she meant. “Ah,” he said with a nod before looking back to Rick. His eyes instantly went back over to me when he caught me moving closer to Kat and placing my hand on her shoulder. “Look,” he said looking straight at me, “we got off to a rough start. You and Rick had every reason to leave me out there, but you didn’t. Because we’re on the same side, the living side.”

“Where are you from,” Kat asked and gained his attention off of me, “you’re too well off and too clean to have been wandering around.” “I’m from a place a lot like this one,” he said with a nod to her, “part of my job there is to search for other settlements to trade with. I took your truck because my community needs things. And both of you looked like trouble.” I felt Kat stiffen under my hand at the man calling me and Rick trouble just from one look.

**KATHRYN’S POV**

“The same could be said about you to be honest,” I said looking dead at this man. He laughed and nodded, quickly agreeing with me on that statement. “I was wrong,” he said with a nod as he smiled at me, “you’re good people, and you really needed that food with two babies on the way. I’m sorry for causing you both to lose the truck and its load. I think our communities could do well to help each other.”

“Do you have food,” Glenn asked after a few moments. “We’ve started to raise livestock,” he said, “we scavenge, we grow just about anything you can think of.” “Tell us why we should believe you,” Dad said as he looked over at him with a skeptical look. “I can show you,” he said, “take a car, be there within a day’s time. You could all see for yourselves. And you two could have a look at your babies, see the future of our world before they’re born.”

“I don’t think so,” Daryl said suddenly as he moved to stand by my side instead of behind me. I sent a glare his way, stopping him in his tracks. “And why _not_ Daryl,” I asked as I glared up at him. “Thought you said you weren’t going on no more runs,” he said returning my glare. “This isn’t a _run_ Daryl,” I said standing to my feet, “it’s a chance to find other people to help our new world.” “Remember what happened last time we found more people,” he asked. “Yes,” I said as I stood to my feet, “I found my _mother_. I found my _cousin_. Now I want to see _our_ baby before it’s born. So I’m going whether you like it or not.”


	133. Heading Out

**KATHRYN'S POV**

Daryl was pissed with me, I could tell that much. So I stood towards the back of the RV we were taking with Carl as he filled up gas cans in case we needed them. Ironically it was the same RV we'd arrived at Alexandria in. "You be careful out there Kat," Carl said looking up at me, causing me to smile at the nickname Daryl had started calling me by way back when this all started. "I will buddy," I said smiling at him as I wrapped my arm around his shoulders just as Dad walked over to us with Judy in his arms.

I watched as Dad and Carl seemed to finish a conversation they'd been having before he came out here to do the gas. When Dad finished say that he thought that maybe this guy could help us out, he looked over at me and then back to Carl. "Look," Dad said as he looked to both of us, "I was going to tell you both about me and Michonne, but it just happened. It _just_ happened."

"Dad it's okay," I said smiling at him as I walked over to him, "I'm sorry about how I acted with Lori for so long. I promise I've matured a lot since then. You don't have to worry about me not liking her." I leaned forward before kissing his cheek and then turning to walk around the RV towards the door to head on inside. I smiled at Maggie and Glenn as they both met me at the door to the RV, but my attention went directly to Daryl the moment I spotted him at the front of the RV.

“You two both seem to like fighting lately,” Maggie said smiling at me as she placed her hand on the back of my shoulder, “don’t worry, y’all will work things out. You haven’t had a fight yet that you couldn’t fix.” “I hope you’re right,” I said with a sigh before allowing Glenn to help me up into the RV. I headed straight for the back where the beds were. Being up for so long with little sleep was starting to get to me so I figured I’d nap while on the way to this place where Jesus was from, this place that was going to show me my baby, well mine and Daryl’s baby.

**DARYL’S POV**

I was the last to climb into the RV, shutting the door behind me as Rick started it up and pulled off and headed to the grate. I looked around for Kat, hoping to see her as soon as I entered, but I couldn’t find her. Catching Maggie’s eye, she smiled and nodded her head towards the back. Nodding once, I turned and made my way to the back. I opened my mouth, about to say something, but as soon as the back room came into sight, so did a sleeping Kat. “Told you that you should’ve went back to bed earlier,” I whispered as I gently slid her over and climbed onto the bunk next to her.

I was barely next to her for a second before she moved and curled up next to my side, letting out a sigh of contentment. I looked up at the sound of footsteps, as I moved my arm to wrap around her and hold her close, spotting that Jesus guy as he quietly made his way to the back. “Until that argument the two of you had back there,” he said with his voice barely above a whisper, “I never expected you to be with the head man’s eldest daughter.” “What’s that supposed to mean,” I asked, trying to keep my voice low so I didn’t wake her.

“Easy man,” he said holding up his hands, “I was merely stating that I wasn’t expecting it. She’s a beautiful woman. And you’re both very lucky to have each other in this world. Now you’ve got something else that you’re very lucky to have, a child on the way. Most people would be terrified to have a baby now.” “Yeah I know,” I said as I looked down at Kat, “I didn’t even find out about the baby until we were almost killed by a couple of people who stole my bike and weapon. And even then it took a few days before we finally got to sit down and talk about this.”

I looked down at Kat, seeming to have forgotten Jesus was back there, moving my right hand over and placing it on her stomach. My extra touch seemed to have disturbed her as she groaned slightly before moving away from me and sitting up just a little. “Sorry,” I said in a whisper as she looked up at me before her attention went to the doorway where Jesus was still standing. “I think you both have some talking you need to do,” he said as he slowly backed out of the door, “I’ll leave you to it and go back up front to help direct us in the right direction. Congratulations again, both of you.”

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I watched Jesus walk away before I slowly turned my attention up to Daryl as he sat beside me still and returned my stare. “I’m sorry,” I whispered out as I lowered my gaze, “I know you don’t want me out here, in case it gets bad.” “No I don’t want you out here,” he said as he lifted his hand from where it was resting on my stomach and placed it under my chin to lift my head to stare at him, “but I should know better by now that you’re going to do what you want to anyway. And you have a good reason for wanting to be out here like this.” I smiled up at him as I sat up slightly and kissed him before pulling away. “I’m still sorry,” I said smiling. “You know you’re sexy when you get mad,” he said before earning a slap in the chest from me.


	134. Sidetracked

**KATHRYN'S POV**

After our little discussion in the back, I felt well rested enough to move back to the front of the RV with the others. So with the help of Daryl, we moved to sit on a bench seat on the other side of Glenn and Maggie, next to Abraham. Just like back in the back, Daryl had his hand on my stomach, my own hand resting on top of his. I looked up at him and smiled before turning my attention to the couple across from us as Abraham began questioning Glenn on his and Maggie's decision to have a baby. Yeah, they got to choose, me and Daryl didn't.

I leaned further into Daryl, closing my eyes as his hand slowly began to rub circles on my belly in an almost soothing pattern. After a few moments, I felt eyes on me and when I opened my eyes, Jesus was staring in mine and Daryl’s direction from closer to the front where he sat just behind Michonne. I sent a small smile up his way before feeling the RV begin to slow down. This caused both Daryl and myself to sit up in alarm as the others began to tense as well.

“Rick what’s going on,” Daryl called out from behind me as I had turned to peer out the window that sat behind our heads. “We got a crash ahead,” he said as he turned the RV, “looks like it just happened.” I stood up carefully, making my way to stand between the two seats at the front that both Dad and Michonne occupied, placing my hands on the headrests as I looked out the front windshield. “What do you think happened,” I asked before glancing over at Dad as he pulled to a stop. “I don’t know,” he said as everyone started standing to their feet and moving to the door to head out.

**DARYL’S POV**

“It’s one of ours,” I heard that Jesus guy say as he quickly jumped to his feet and was out the door before the rest of us. I walked out with Kat just in front of me, my hand resting on the small of her back as we all exited the RV and moved towards the overturned car in question at this second. I watched as Jesus ran to the car before turning to face the rest of us, finding Rick’s gun in his face. “If this is a trick,” he said as he looked at the guy through the sight of his gun, “it won’t end well for you.”

“My people are in trouble,” he said as he stared down Rick’s gun, “they don’t, _we_ don’t have a lot of fighters. I know how it looks but I’ll play it out. Can I borrow a gun?” “No,” I said moving to stand in front of Kat and to stare him down before looking around and noticing something, “we got tracks right here.” “Alright we’ll follow them,” Rick said before turning to look at his daughter, “I want you to stay here with the RV.” “The hell I will,” she said glaring at her father, “we don’t know how many there are that were in that car. You need all the help you can get that you trust.”

“You’re pregnant,” Rick said turning to fully face her. “So is _Maggie_ ,” she countered, “but you nor Glenn are making her stay behind so I’ll be damned if I do. You need my help Dad and you know it.” “Fine,” he said after a few moments, “but you stay with Daryl at all times. I don’t need you getting hurt or that baby.” She smiled triumphantly as she took the gun she was offered and followed behind with me right next to her. “You know,” I whispered to her as we walked in the direction of the trail, “you’re really sexy when you’re pissed off.” “Watch it Dixon,” she said with a smirk before moving to walk next to Maggie and Glenn for now.

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I got as far as the building where the tracks ended before I was put on babysitting duty with Maggie to watch over Jesus while Dad and the others went inside looking for Jesus’ people. I wanted to be in there helping, next to my Dad and Daryl. My place wasn’t on the sidelines like this, and I was beginning to hate being pregnant. And I think Maggie could see that on my face as I paced around outside. “Hey,” Maggie said grabbing my shoulder, “everything will be okay.”

“I don’t care,” I said pulling away from her, “I want to be in there, _helping_ , not standing here and feeling useless.” “You’re place for now is out here,” she said staring at me, “I know you don’t like being pushed aside like this, but it’s for your safety.” “She’s right,” Jesus said as he walked over to us, “you’re better off out here. You and Maggie are both carrying the future to our world. You’re both the most _important_ people in this world as of right now.” “He’s right,” she said walking over to me again, “they can handle their selves in there. They’ve done this before, remember.” I let out a sigh before nodding, looking back towards the doors to the building as we waited for our group to return.


	135. The Hilltop

**KATHRYN'S POV**

It wasn't too long before Dad and the others rejoined us outside the building with 4 new faces in tow. Without any introductions, we all made our way back to the RV to continue with the journey to Jesus' settlement as he called it. Upon entering the RV, me and Daryl went to the back with Maggie and one of the guys from Jesus' group, me sitting back on the bed in the back with my legs across Daryl's lap. Maggie was staring over at us as I rubbed circles on my stomach while trying to relax some. But at that moment, I felt a sudden kick where my hand was.

"Daryl," I said quickly as I looked over at him, "give me your hand." "Why," he asked as he gave me a strange look. "Just give me your damn hand," I said reaching over and grabbing his wrist and pulling it to my stomach, placing his hand where mine had been just seconds ago when the baby kicked. He kept staring from where my hand held his and back up to my face, trying to figure out what the hell was going on until he felt the movement himself under his palm. "Was that," he started but hesitated as he looked up at my face.

"Yeah," I said smiling, "the baby just kicked." I watched as he stared down at my stomach in amazement, his hand still placed on my stomach. "Excuse me," the man from Jesus' group said, "sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I'm Harlan." "I'm Kathryn," I said with a smile to the man, "this is Daryl and Maggie." "We were bringing back medication," he said looking back and forth from the three of us before messing in his bag that was seated on his lap, "you guys may have saved more lives than you realize."

**DARYL'S POV**

I looked towards the door upon hearing footsteps, seeing Glenn walking to stand in the doorway as he looked from Maggie over to the man we were sitting with. "You're a doctor," Glenn asked looking to the man. "Yes I am," he said looking up before looking back to his bag. "You got any prenatal vitamins," Glenn asked. His eyes went over to Kathryn, looking down at her stomach before looking up and back at me where I sat with her. "Not just me," she said shaking her head and looking to Maggie. The man looked from Kat and over to Maggie, a smile on his face. "Congratulations," he said as he looked back to Kat and me.

"When Jesus said that we could see our babies before they were born," Kat started as she looked to the man, "was it because of you?" "Yes," he said with a smile, "I was an obstetrician before all of this." I watched as a smile crossed Kat's face at his words, although they were gibberish to me. "Could you tell us more about the place you're group here is from," Maggie asked as Kat leaned back again to get comfortable in her seat with me.

I kept my eyes on Kat as she listened, along with Glenn and Maggie, to what that guy had to say about the settlement he came from. My attention only turned from Kat when I felt the RV come to a standstill as the sound of Rick pressing on the gas to try and get it to keep going could be heard. Kat turned her attention to me, confused, before easing her way up to her feet so that I could stand and see what was going on. When the five of us that'd been in the back reached the front, Rick and the others were making their way out of the RV.

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"Dad what's going on," I asked when we reached where he stood. "Jesus says we're there," he said, looking back at me before walking out of the door with everyone else. I walked out right behind Dad, his hand being held out down at the bottom to help me when I noticed all of the mud. "Take it easy Kat," Daryl said from behind me, noticing the same thing I did as I finally stepped down from the RV. I waited for Daryl, only moving when I felt his hand on the small of my back to let me know he was there.

Walking with everyone else, we came to stand on somewhat solid ground as we looked upon a large wooden fence, much like what I imagine the first settlers in America put up when they tried to keep unwelcomed guests out. "That's us," I heard Jesus say as we came to stand next to him, "that's the Hilltop." "Impressive," I said looking over at him as he looked to me as soon as I spoke. "Thank you," he said with a smile before leading the way up to the front gate.


	136. Gregory

**KATHRYN'S POV**

Dad handed me a hand gun that he had on him before we all followed behind Jesus as he led the way up to the gate to the Hill Top. I kept near Daryl but also near the center of the group, knowing that's where I'd be safer. When we got closer to the gate, someone from on top of it called out to us. "Stop right there," they shouted, causing us all to go on edge. Every single member of our group had their guns aimed towards the voice while Jesus had his arms out to try and keep us from shooting and causing trouble. But who could blame us, it was a force of habit, especially for those of us who went through hell several times over to keep a place of our own.

I watched as Jesus tried to calm things down, my gun never once wavering as I waited to see what was going to happen. "Dammit guys there're 2 pregnant women out here," Harlan said as he walked forwards to try and ease the tension, "look we vouch for these guys, alright? They _saved_ us out there." I looked back up at the men on the fence, waiting to see what they were going to do. "Anything happens," the guy said before looking down behind the fence on his side, "it's on you Jesus." That next second, the gate opened and we were led in by Jesus and his group.

I kept the gun in my hand, ready for anything, as I walked next to Daryl with Dad just in front of us. This kind of stuff made me nervous anymore. I'd watched too many times what happens when we meet a new group and things go bad. I didn't think I'd be able to handle it again if something bad happened to the ones I loved while we were here. As we entered, I couldn't help but look around at the place amazed. It reminded me of an old plantation you'd find in the south back before electricity and all that was around. It's funny how it seems that mankind has went into a complete circle since then and returned to the darker days without power.

**DARYL'S POV**

I looked over at Kat as she looked around at her surroundings while that doctor and 2 others slowly walked by us. "Hey," he called out to Kat and Maggie who was just on her other side, "come see me whenever you're both ready. We'll have a look at those babies of yours." "Okay," Kat said with a nod before turning to see Maggie nodding in agreement. Kat looked up at me, waiting to see what I'd say about going to see him later. I just simply nodded once before placing my hand on her lower back as she finally completely relaxed her grip on the gun her dad gave her just outside of the fence.

Jesus led us over to the big house that was like a centerpiece for the place. Walking inside, I watched as Kat seemed to freeze in her steps a moment while looking around at the inside of the house. " _Wow_ ," she said before moving to follow behind me and her father as we waited for whoever was in charge to meet with us and have a little chat. I just stood there, watching as she seemed to walk around the room we were waiting in, looking at everything that was there to look at until the doors to a room off to the side slowly opened and revealed someone new.

"I see we have guests," the man said as he looked around at all of us standing there, staring right back at him. His eyes stalled longer on Kat, taking in the fact that she was pregnant. "Everyone," Jesus said, "this is Gregory. You could say he keeps the trains running on time around here." I watched as Rick tried to talk to him, before the man shot him down and saying we should go get cleaned up. "We're fine," Rick said as you could tell he was debating on if this guy was worth trying to talk to. "What about you young lady," he asked Kat, "are you _fine_ as your leader seems to put it?"

**KATHRYN'S POV**

"He's my father," I said as I sent a glare his way for trying to stall us, "and I'm _perfect_ , so why don't we go in that there office of yours and talk about why it is that Jesus brought us here? Shall we?" Even with the glare on my face, I had the smile to match it that said _do not mess with me_. I may be pregnant, but I had a feeling I could still beat his ass at anything he wanted to try. "Y-y-yes," he said after getting the message, "of course." Smiling sweetly, I walked past him and into the office he'd just walked out of, my group following close behind.


	137. Baby Dixon

**KATHRYN'S POV**

Dad left the negotiating to Maggie after we had a small chat with Gregory. Deciding I didn’t want to deal with the obvious stress this idiot was going to try and place on us, I walked out with everyone else as we left Maggie to it. “I can show you to the medical trailer if you’d like,” Jesus said as he walked over to where me and Daryl were standing just outside of the larger building within the walls of the Hilltop. “Thanks,” I said with a smile and nod before looking to Daryl. He motioned with his head for me to go first before I heard his steps fall in behind me.

When we got to the trailer, Jesus knocked on the door first and left us to enter on our own when we heard the _come in_ from Harlan just inside. I entered first, slowly walking through the door and looking towards where the doctor was. “Hey,” he said when he looked up to see me standing there and Daryl walking in behind me, “guess you both are ready to see that baby. Where’s the other girl?” “Oh she’s talking with your leader,” I said, “or whatever he is. She’ll probably stop by when she’s done with him.”

**DARYL’S POV**

“Right,” the guy said as he stood up, “let’s get started. Kathryn why don’t you have a seat over here for me while I boot up the machine.” “Okay,” she said before walking further into the trailer. I stood there watching as she walked over to the medical bed that he had inside the trailer. “Come on in Daryl,” the guy said as he looked over his shoulder at me, “you can’t see the screen from all the way over there.” I gave him a cautious look before walking to stand on the other side of Kat. “You ready Daryl,” Kat asked as she looked up at me from where she now lay.

“So,” the guy said once he stopped messing with the machine next to the bed, “if you had to guess, how far along would you say you are?” “It’s kind of hard to tell now with the world,” she said as she thought, “and this is my first child so I’m going to be smaller than if it was a second or so. But I’m not really sure how far I might be.” “Well let’s see then,” he said as he grabbed what looked like some kind of jelly and squeezed it out onto her stomach after lifting her shirt some.

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I couldn’t help but smile over at Daryl as he stood back slightly while Harlan located the baby that I was carrying with the machine. When I looked back towards the monitor, I could see the small form that seemed to float in the air. “Look Daryl,” I said as I looked back towards him. He had his eyes glued to the screen, almost like he couldn’t believe what was showing there. “That is one healthy looking fetus,” Harlan said as he looked over to me and Daryl, “congratulations.” I couldn’t contain my excited grin as I looked from the monitor over towards Daryl.

“Daryl,” I whispered as I reached over to him and grabbed his hand to instantly gain his attention, “that’s our baby.” It was a little delayed, but I watched as a slow smile crossed his face as he stared at me. “Let’s see,” Harlan said as he gained my attention once again, “you might be far enough along to see what it is you’re having. Would you like to try and see?” “Yes please,” I said quickly as I nodded. I felt Daryl squeeze my hand, reminding me I still had ahold of his hand. I glanced at Daryl for just a second before looking back to watch as Harlan moved the ultrasound around to try and see what our baby was.

“Well,” he said after a few minutes of looking, “it looks like you’re both going to be the proud parents of a little girl. Congratulations, both of you. If you come back again, before the baby is born, we can double check on its gender. But I’m fairly sure that you’ll have a little girl.” “Thank you,” I said smiling widely as he nodded and turned the screen off, but not before printing off a picture of the ultrasound of our baby. When he walked out of the room after handing me a tissue to clean my stomach off, I sat up and looked to Daryl as I wiped the jelly off.

“This is really happening,” he asked after a few minutes. “Yeah,” I said with a smile as I watched him walk over towards me. “She’ll be as beautiful as her mother,” he said, smiling at me as he helped me down off of the examination bed. “Oh hush you,” I said laughing, “c’mon, let’s go tell Dad and the others the news.” He nodded once before allowing me to exit the trailer first. As soon as we were out the door, we noticed a commotion. But then, things went downhill as a fight broke out and I watched Daryl run past me to help those from our group.


	138. More Going On

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I watched in horror as Gregory fell to the ground, Daryl running to help as Dad jumped the man who stabbed his own leader. I moved as quickly as I could, joining Maggie, Jesus, and Glenn who were aiding to Gregory. I placed my hands quickly over the bleeding stab wound to his stomach, looking back over my shoulder as I watched Dad and Michonne pulled the guy away before fighting with them. Then my attention turned to Abraham as he was on the ground with another guy pinning him down, his hands wrapped around Abraham’s throat. But it didn’t last before Daryl pulled him off and knocked the hell out of him.

My attention moved once again when Glenn got up and ran in a direction, my eyes moving with him as I saw what he saw. The guy who attacked Gregory, had my dad down on the ground with a knife to his neck. “Stay back,” the man said as he was distracted by Glenn, “anyone who gets in my way is killing my brother!” Being in the woods with Daryl as often as I had been, I picked up how to walk quickly and quietly as I moved to the man’s other side. “Yeah,” I said gaining his attention, “and _you’re_ killing my father.” With that, I brought my fist back and punched him square in the jaw, causing him to forget about my dad below him.

In the next second, I watched as Dad picked up something from the ground before stabbing it into the man’s throat. I just stood there, staring with no emotion on my face as I watched the man bleed to death over my dad before I felt hands on my shoulders. Looking over, I spotted Michonne beside me. And just behind her, Daryl was walking over to us. She looked back to see what I was watching before quickly moving out of the way. Daryl instantly wrapped his arms around me protectively before my attention went back to Dad as he stood to his feet looking around. “What,” he said before we all looked back to Gregory.

**DARYL’S POV**

I held Kat back as this girl who showed up with the asshole who attacked his own leader punched Rick. But Michonne stepped in next when Rick was on the ground. It still amazed me how protective Kat was over her family. When Jesus managed to calm things down, he looked to Rick and told him that things weren’t as simple as they seemed for the Hilltop. With that, he turned and walked over to where Gregory was laying on the ground with Harlan, helping to move him inside to get him looked after.

During our waiting period, we all found ourselves back in the office that belonged to Gregory. Rick had since cleaned up his face as we waited for a progress report on the man. Kat was stood next to me by a window, much to my disapproval as I wanted her sitting down. I could see the exhaustion hiding behind her eyes, but she was trying to seem strong in front of these strangers, but we all knew she had to be tiring out. “Kathryn,” Rick said from over where he stood, “you should really sit down sweetie.” “I’m fine Dad,” she said as she gave him a smile.

“He’s right Kat,” I said, “I get it, you want to prove yourself and show that you can do this even now. But don’t, we just got to see the baby and everything. Don’t risk it any more for a while.” I watched as she stared up at me. She _really_ wanted to be stubborn about this all. And as she went to open her mouth to speak, that’s when Jesus came back in and began explaining everything that was going on. “We heard the name Negan,” Rick said as he moved from his spot, “a while back Daryl, Kathryn, and Abraham ran into a group of his men. Who is he?”

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I listened as Jesus explained who this _Negan_ was. I still remembered when we ran into some of his men. And I didn’t like the feeling they gave me. I could’ve sworn that day would’ve been the last day I got to spend with Daryl and at the time my own family didn’t know about me being pregnant. I continued to watch as our group went into a basic bartering mode, trying to find a middle ground for us to get what we wanted and needed, and to help these people free themselves from this new threat. “I’ll take it to Gregory,” Jesus said as he looked around at all of us before turning and walking out of the room.


	139. Deal Made, Headed Home

**KATHRYN’S POV**

After Jesus took the proposal to Gregory, and he said he wanted to talk with Maggie, I found myself being forced to sit down in the foyer outside of the office we’d originally been in. Dad was on one side of me with Michonne, while Daryl was on the other and sitting next to me. I had my arms crossed across my stomach as I glared at the three of them. “It’s for your own good Kathryn,” Michonne said when she noticed to look I was giving them each. “I said I was _fine_ ,” I said as I looked away from her. “Maybe,” Dad said as he took the seat on my other side, “but you have that little one to think about too.”

I cut my eyes at Dad before my attention drifted downwards towards my stomach the second I felt a hand placed upon it. Following the arm that connected to the hand, I came face to face with Daryl as he looked from my own face and then down towards where his hand was resting. “Did Harlan say how the baby was doing,” Michonne asked as I turned my attention away from watching Daryl. “Yeah,” I said nodding, “he said that she was doing really well. That she was healthy.” “ _She_ ,” Dad asked as I turned my attention to him with a smile. “Surprise,” I said grinning.

**DARYL’S POV**

“Have you both decided on a name yet,” Michonne asked as she looked from Kat to me. “No,” I said shaking my head, “hadn’t really thought much on it, so we haven’t really talked about it.” “We will once we’re back in Alexandria,” Kat said smiling before turning to look at her dad, “and Dad, I’d like it if you and Carl also helped us. You know, make it a full family decision for the baby’s name. You too Michonne.” “I think it should completely be up to you and Daryl,” Rick said shaking his head, “this is _your_ baby. Not all of ours.” “But Dad,” she said looking up at him. “You father’s right,” Michonne said, “everyone will approve of what you name her regardless of if they help or not.”

Kat got up and walked over to Michonne, wrapping her in a hug just as Maggie came down the stairs to where we were sitting. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs as we all turned to look at her. “We have a deal,” she said with a grin, “we’re getting half of everything right now.” “Way to go Maggie,” Kat said as she walked over to her friend and hugged her tightly, “this is why Deanna wanted you to lead Alexandria’s people after she was gone.” I watched as the two hugged before pulling apart as they both turned to face the rest of us. “While everyone’s packing up the supplies we’re getting from Gregory,” Maggie said, “I think it’s time me and Glenn go pay a visit to Harlan.”

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I sat on a raised garden plot, watching as Dad and everyone else packed up the items we were getting from Gregory. They weren’t allowing me to help out, and I guess I can’t blame them, but it still pisses me off as I feel completely useless. “Even Negan didn’t get this much up front,” Jesus said as he walked by Dad, earning a laugh from me. “Yeah well,” I said when he looked to me, “Negan didn’t have Maggie.” “Fair point,” he said as he walked on towards the RV with the stuff he was carrying. I looked over and watched as Daryl, Abraham, and the man that had attacked Abraham walked up towards us.

Daryl and Abraham had been put in charge in finding the guy, apparently Dad had something he wanted to say to him. Abraham stayed put just behind the man, while Daryl walked on and came to a stand beside me. “Everything okay,” I asked looking up at him as his blue eyes peered down at me. “When we take this stuff back to Alexandria,” he stared, “just remember you promised not to put yourself in any more dangerous situations. When we leave to take care of this Negan and his Savior, I want you staying back home.”

“Yeah I know Daryl,” I said with a sigh as I went to stand up. When he noticed I struggled slightly, he reached his hand out and grabbed my arm gently, helping me to stand up fully. When he didn’t release my arm right away, I looked down at the hand holding me before looking up at his blue eyes. “What,” I asked as he continued to stare at me. “I know you don’t like sitting on the sidelines,” he said as he placed his hand on my cheek, “but I’ll look after your ol’ man and whoever else goes.” “I know,” I said smiling up at him as I grabbed his wrist. “C’mon love birds,” Abraham’s voice called out and ruining the moment, “let’s get moving.”


	140. Return to Alexandria

**DARYL'S POV**

Kat was stretched out beside me on the couch at the front of the RV on our way back to Alexandria. I had the picture Harlan printed out for us of our daughter in my hand, just simply staring at it. Even after seeing the swell of her stomach grow as the days went by, it was still hard for me to believe that she really was pregnant until it was staring me in the face. And now we had more proof that she was carrying a small life inside of her that was part her and part me.

"I saw Kathryn punch that guy," Glenn said as he looked from me to Kat beside me as he sat across from us with Maggie, "reminded me that she'd punched Lori back when we were in Atlanta." "She punched Lori," I asked confused, "when?" "The morning that Jenner almost killed us all," he said, "Lori was giving her a hard time because she hadn't been in the room she was supposed to share with me the night before. She'd said she was in your room." "Yeah I remember that," I said with a nod, "she walked into my room, drunk off her ass, and face-planted onto the floor just inside the door."

"She never told us all of that," Glenn said with a laugh, "you didn't make her sleep on that floor all night did you? I know you both hadn't been the best of friends at the time or as close as you are now, but I figure you'd have been somewhat a gentleman." "I will admit that I thought about leaving her on the floor where she'd landed," I said honestly as I looked down at her, "but it bugged me too much every time I glanced at her so I finally got up and placed her on the couch I'd been stretched out on then took her place on the floor."

**GLENN'S POV**

"So that's how I ended up on the couch when I didn't remember making it to the couch," Kathryn said suddenly as she startled both me and Daryl while she sat up to look at the two of us as we talked. I watched as she smiled at Daryl while he began to turn red in the face for having been caught. "I'm still impressed how you two became so close," I said, "I still remember that you both seemed to hate each other." "I think I surprised everyone when it wasn't _you_ I ended up with," Kathryn said as she looked over to me, "we're still close like we'd been back in Atlanta, but you have Maggie now and I've got Daryl."

**KATHRYN'S POV**

I watched as Glenn nodded before our conversation died down. I think I ended up falling right back to sleep because one minute we were still a good drive away from home, and then the next minute I was being gently shook as Daryl's voice filled my ears. "We're back," he whispered as I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. Most of everyone else was already out of the RV, leaving it just the two of us. Sitting up, I stretched out before allowing Daryl to help me up to my feet and then out of the RV to be greeted by Aaron and Carl.

"Hey buddy," I said smiling as I wrapped my arms around Carl in a hug when he greeted me as my feet touched the ground, "I got something to show you." As I said that, I pulled out the ultrasound picture of the baby and showed it to him. "Is that your baby," he asked smiling as he looked down to the picture he now held as Aaron walked over to look over his shoulder at picture. "Yeah," I said smiling, "and you know what? You're having a little niece." "You're having a girl," Carl asked excitedly as he looked to me, "congratulations Kat!" "Yeah," Aaron said smiling as he walked over and hugged me, "congrats Kit-Kat."

I smiled as Daryl walked closer to me once Aaron moved away, wrapping his arm around my shoulders just as Dad walked around the RV to where we stood. "We've got a meeting to go to," Dad said as he looked to us, "to talk about what's going to be happening soon with everyone." "We'll be right there," I said with a nod as Dad left with Carl and Aaron. I went to pull away from Daryl and walk after the others when he arm tightened around my shoulders and caused me to look back at him. "After this meeting," he said as he peered down at me, "I want you to go and rest. You've been on your feet almost non-stop all day. I want you resting."

"Are you worried about me Dixon," I asked with a smirk as I stared up at him. "Just don't want you overdoing it," he said with a small smile. I returned his smiled and looked down at my stomach. "When you make it back from dealing with this Negan and his Saviors," I said still looking downwards, "we need to start thinking of a name for our baby. Now that we know we're having a little girl anyway." "I'll let _you_ pick out her name," Daryl said as he placed his hand on my stomach, "I know I'll like it no matter what you choose."


	141. Baby Dixon's Name

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I sat back and listened as Dad talked to everyone in the church, telling them about our deal with the Hilltop and what we had to do to get the stuff we were promised from that community. I hated fighting, we always lost people I was close to. But it had to be done. I still remember our first encounter with the Saviors and how I could’ve lost Daryl that day or he could’ve lost me. I shivered at the memory before I felt an arm wrap around me. Looking over, I spied Daryl as he stared at my Dad who was still talking, still explaining what was needed to be done, as he had his arm wrapped around me.

When Dad ended the meeting, I went straight to the house and up the stairs to mine and Daryl’s room. Everyone else began doing their own thing to get ready. Daryl, Dad, Glenn, Jesus, and that other guy were somewhere else as they discussed the plan of action. It was late when Daryl finally made it to bed with me. I relaxed in his arm as he wrapped it around me and pulled me closer to him. “Y’all are leaving tomorrow,” I asked without looking back to him. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “Who all is going,” I asked as I felt Daryl start to rub circles on my stomach.

“A good number of us,” he said as he nuzzled his head into the back of my neck, “we’ll all make it back. You know that Kat.” “Yeah I know,” I whispered, “I still worry though. Especially when I’m not able to go along to help out.” I felt him sigh against the back of my neck before pulling away from me so that I could roll over and look back at him. “We’re not going to start this are we,” he asked. “I’m not starting anything,” I said, “I just said that I’m worried because I won’t know if anything happens to those I care about most until well after it happens and y’all return.”

**DARYL’S POV**

I stared at Kat as we both laid there silently for a few minutes. I knew how she was, she wanted to be able to protect the ones she loved and right now she couldn’t. I looked down towards where our baby rested inside of her, moving my hand without thinking and placing it on the baby bump she had. “Have you given any thoughts yet on what you’d want to name her,” I asked as I began to rub soothing circles on her stomach again. “Well before we found out we were having a girl,” she said quietly, “I had thought that if it was a boy, that we could name him Merle. After your brother.”

I paused in shock at what she’d just said. “Why,” was all I could think to ask. “I don’t know,” she said with a shrug, “your brother may have been an ass to you and everyone around him, but he was still your brother. He was still your blood. And I know even with how things were between y’all, you still cared about your brother.” I went silent after that. Simply because she was right. I left the prison, everyone there, when I found my brother because he was my blood and all I had left of my life before the end. But I’d made that mistake once, and I wasn’t going to leave Kat again like that for no one else.

“Did you ever think of a name if it was a girl,” I asked finally, one thought coming to mind. “No,” she said quietly, “I guess I just figured it’d be a boy.” “What about the name Bryce then,” I asked as I remembered telling myself if I had a baby one day and it was a girl, that I’d like her to be named Bryce. “Why Bryce,” Kat asked as she rolled onto her back to look over at me in our darkened room, “to have a name for a girl like that already, you’ve had to have had it in the back of your mind.” I looked at her, her blue eyes searching my face before I finally spoke.

“Back before shit hit the fan,” I started off, “I’d always wanted a daughter. But never thought I’d get the chance to find someone and settle down. Hell if Merle knew that I’d wanted a daughter, or a family in general, he’d have called me a pussy for it. But I still wanted a daughter of my own. And to name her Bryce, well, that was my mother’s name.” I watched as she stared at me, tears seeming to reach her eyes. “I think Bryce would be a _perfect_ name,” she finally said before reaching over and placing a small and gentle kiss on my cheek.


	142. Taking Action

**KATHRYN’S POV**

The following morning, as everyone was setting up to leave, I was standing next to Maggie as we watched everyone else pack up the weapons they were taking to end the Saviors. “You sure you want to go out there,” I asked as I looked over to her. “I know _you_ want to go out there,” she said with a smile as she pushed her shoulder to mine, “but yeah. I’ll keep watch on the perimeter, won’t be near all the action. How do you feel about 3 of the 4 main men in your life and family going out there without you?”

“Did you have to bring that up,” I asked with a laugh as I looked from Maggie and over to where Dad was standing with Daryl and Aaron, “and I’m nervous. More than anyone would believe. I just got Aaron back, I’m starting a family with Daryl, and Dad is the only parent I have left in this world now. I’m scared I’ll lose one or all 3 to the Saviors. And I’m scared for you and Glenn because I know you’ll both be out there.” “Oh Kathryn,” Maggie said as she turned fully to face me and wrapped her arms around me in a hug.

“Maggie,” I heard my dad’s voice call out and causing us to pull apart to look at him, “we’re getting ready to pull out.” “Okay,” Maggie said with a nod as she looked back to me. “Good luck out there,” I whispered as I hugged her tightly one last time before pulling away. I turned and walked over to Dad, hugging him just as tightly as I tried to keep the fear of what could happen off my face. “We’ll look out for each other,” he whispered as he returned my hug, “we’ll all make it back to you. And I’ll make sure Daryl makes it back so he can be here to see that baby when she finally comes.” “Thanks Daddy,” I said as I pulled back and looked up at him.

“Someone wants to say goodbye to you now,” he whispered into my ear before looking over my shoulder to someone behind me. Looking back as he released me from the hug, I spotted Daryl who was standing there staring at us. I smiled as I watched him slowly walk over to me before he wrapped me in a tight hug, my head making its way to rest on his shoulder. “Please be careful out there,” I whispered as a silent tear slipped down my cheek. I hated this, feeling weak and crying over this. I knew they’d be okay. Dad and Daryl had always came back for me in the end.

“We’ll make it back Kat,” Daryl whispered as he pulled away from the hug and looked down at me, spying the single tear that had slipped out. Lifting his hand, he used his thumb to brush the tear away as he blue eyes met mine. With his hand still resting on my cheek, his eyes moved down to stare at my lips before he lowered his head and placed his chapped lips on mine for a small kiss. When he pulled away, he knelt down in front of me and placed his hands on either side of my stomach. “I’ll be back soon,” he whispered to my stomach and the baby inside, “don’t give your momma a hard time while I’m gone.”

I smiled down at him as he placed a small kiss on my stomach before standing back up on his feet and wrapping me into another hug. “Hurry back to me,” I whispered as he rubbed his hand up and down my back. “I will,” he whispered, “and we’ll be safer once these Saviors are out of the way.” I pulled away from him and nodded as he finally turned and met up with Dad over by the cars. It was then that Aaron walked up to me. “Do I get a hug too,” he asked with a smile. Returning the smile, I held my arms out for him which he gladly accepted.

“Please be careful,” I said, “I just got you back and don’t want to lose you.” “You’re not going to lose me Kit-Kat,” he said as he finally pulled away. I looked up at him, nodded, and watched him walk away. Carl walked over a few minutes later with Judy in his arms as we watched everyone get in the RV and cars they were taking to end this. All I could do was hope that everything would be alright and this would be taken care of fairly easily. And maybe this wouldn’t come back to bite us in the ass later on.


	143. Calm Before the Storm

**KATHRYN’S POV**

It’s been weeks since everyone returned from dealing with the Saviors. Poor Maggie looked distraught over something, and I later learned she’d been taken hostage with Carol. She was okay, thankfully, but she was still shook up over it. Daryl got his bike back that we’d lost. Apparently someone there had the bike and claimed that they only found it. We both knew that was bullshit, but it was nice to have the bike back. I missed Daryl’s bike that I got to watch him build after we got here.

We haven’t had any more trouble from the Saviors, guess we did take care of all of them when the group went to that place all those weeks ago. And now, every other week, we were getting a few things from the Hilltop to help keep us set and just last week I went with a group of our people and confirmed that me and Daryl are in fact having a little girl. We announced to everyone yesterday that we’d come up with a name. Daryl picked her first name and I got to pick out her middle name. Bryce Alexandria Dixon. First baby to be conceived and born in Alexandria since the fall of the world.

**DARYL’S POV**

I sat next to Kat on the steps to the front porch, watching her as she seemed lost in thought as she stared down at her stomach. “Whatcha thinkin’ about over there,” I asked finally, causing her to jump. “It’s nothing,” she whispered with a smile and a shake of her head, “just thinking about how it won’t be too much longer until our little girl will be here. And I’m just scared that the same thing that happened to Lori will happen to me. I don’t want you left on your own with a newborn baby. I know you Daryl, you’ll shut down.”

“It won’t,” I said as I quickly grabbed her hand, “we have someone here to help. She’s been studying up so that she’s prepared.” “We had Hershel for Lori,” Kat said, “ _and_ Carol. But look what happened to her. They weren’t around and she lost her life, leaving Dad with baby Judith.” “That won’t happen to us,” I said as I pulled her towards me, “everything will work out.” “Just promise me that you won’t push people away should something happen to me,” Kat said as she looked up at me, “promise me Daryl.” “I promise,” I said as I placed a kiss on the top of her head before movement off to our left caught my attention.

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I felt Daryl shift after his promise and looked up to see Rosita and Denise walking over towards us. Daryl stood before helping me to my feet and then down the stairs to meet the pair half way. “What’s going on,” I asked as I looked from Denise to Rosita. “There’s this place I want to check out,” Denise said nervously, “I believe it’ll have drugs there if it’s really what it says it is. And I know we’ll need as much as we can get because you’ll be having your baby soon and we need to be ready for anything that gets thrown at us.”

“What does this have to do with Daryl and Rosita,” I asked confused. “I was hoping they’d come with me,” she said, “help me out. They don’t have shifts and don’t have any training to do with the other people here in Alexandria so I was thinking they’d be the best choice.” I looked over to Daryl as he seemed to be in deep thought. “I don’t know if that’d be a smart choice,” Rosita said, “you haven’t spent any time outside of these walls since you got here.” “I can ID the meds,” she said, “I’ve seen a roamer up close and I know how to use a machete. Please let me do this, I want to help out.”

Rosita and Daryl shared a look, both seeming to try and decide on if they’d go along with this plan or not. “I’ll go alone if I have to,” Denise said. “You’ll die alone out there,” I tried to counter. “I’m asking them to help make sure I don’t,” she said back quickly. I watched as Daryl looked over to Rosita, obviously not wanting to go. “I am _not_ babysitting her by myself,” Rosita said when she saw the look. “Son of a bitch,” Daryl groaned which caused me to laugh. “Hurry back Tarzan,” I whispered as I leaned up and kissed his cheek before walking inside the house and closing the door behind me.


	144. Trouble

**KATHRYN’S POV**

Daryl and Rosita got back to Alexandria with Abraham and Eugene, but everything didn’t go as planned. It was some time later when I finally got Daryl to tell me what had happened. The prick that’d stolen Daryl’s bike had jumped him, Rosita, and Denise when they were on the way back and killed Denise. Now I was scared. We didn’t have Denise anymore to help with the birth of our baby. The only option would be to get me to the Hilltop and just have me stay there until she was born so that we wouldn’t have to take that long drive up while I was in labor.

A few weeks after Denise’s death, I woke up to find Daryl was already gone. Confused, I got up and got dressed before heading down the stairs and out of the house to spy Daryl on his motorcycle. “Daryl,” I asked in a question. He looked back at me for a second before riding off. “ _Daryl_ ,” I cried as I tried to run after him without falling and hurting myself or our daughter. I was out of breath by the time I reached the gate, watching as he pulled it open and sped out without so much as a look back. “We’ll bring him back,” Glenn said as he looked at me after running by with Michonne. I watched, scared, as they drove off with Rosita to wherever it was Daryl was going.

I stood there, staring at the now closed gate as I tried not to hyperventilate and then Dad leaves with Morgan to go find Carol after she apparently left in the middle of the night. “Kathryn,” Maggie said softly, “we need to get you to sit down before something happens, c’mon.” “No,” I said in a whisper as I shook my head, “I want to watch for them to come back.” “Glenn and them will bring Daryl back,” she said as she placed her hands on my shoulders, “and your dad will be back with Morgan as soon as they find Carol. All you can do is to keep yourself calm.”

**MAGGIE’S POV**

“How can I,” she asked in what almost looked like panic, “my dad just left, Daryl just left, and the only person I could hope to have help me with child birth was killed a few weeks ago. I’m trying not to panic but I’m scared that everything is going downhill for us and I don’t want to leave Daryl alone or him not come back and our child be an orphan if something happens to me.” “Nothing will happen to you and Daryl will come back in one piece,” I said as I hugged her, “but you stressing like this won’t help your daughter. Come with me and sit down for a little bit.”

It took a lot of coaxing, but I finally got her to follow me to the closest seat and sat her down. I watched her as she shakily placed her hands on her stomach and tried to slow her breathing down. “I don’t understand why he did this,” she said quietly as I watched a tear slowly fall down her cheek, “he seemed fine, didn’t show any signs of doing something like this. And now he’s gone. And it scares me to think he may not come back this time.” “He came back the last time he left like that,” I said as I remembered the prison when he left with Merle, “he’ll come back this time too.”

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I looked over at Maggie and nodded. She was right. He promised he’d never leave me like that again, I just had to hope he knew what he was doing right now. “C’mon,” Maggie said finally, “let’s go back to the house.” “Okay,” I nodded before allowing her to help me up. We made our way slowly towards our house when we crossed paths with Enid. She stopped and talked with us for a few minutes before following us back to house. I sat in the kitchen with them and watched with a smile on my face as Enid helped Maggie cut her hair off.

“This is the shortest I’ve seen your hair,” I commented as she looked over at me, “the last time I saw it like this was we were still on your dad’s farm. And even then it wasn’t this short.” I watched as she smiled back at me before her smile slowly disappeared and she began looking downwards. “Maggie,” I asked as I watched her. “Maggie are you okay,” Enid asked just before Maggie screamed out in pain and doubled over and off the chair. “ _Maggie_ ,” I screamed as I dropped down next to her before looking to Enid, “Enid, go get help! _Hurry_!”


	145. Surrounded

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I don’t know how long I had to sit there with Maggie, watching as she withered in pain while we waited for Enid to get back with some sort of help. I think I nearly sighed in relief when she came back with Dad and Carl. “I think it’s the baby,” I said as I looked from Maggie who was holding my hand and to Dad who knelt down in front of us. “Carl help me get her to the couch,” he said as he took her hand from my grasp and helped her to stand before he and my brother helped walk her to the couch in the living room.

I sat there with her, damp cloth in my hand that I used to wipe her forehead as Dad left the house with Carl to get stuff together. When Dad came back to pack a couple of bags for Maggie, I followed him. “Dad,” I said when he had his back to me, “I’m coming with y’all.” “No,” he said without turning around, “you’re staying here where it’s safe.” “I can’t,” I said shaking my head, “with Denise dead and Daryl MIA, I can’t stay here and hope things will turn out okay. I need to be at the Hilltop in case I have my baby while he’s gone. I could have her any day now. I need to be where she and I will both have the best chance of survival.”

**RICK’S POV**

I looked back at Kathryn as she said that, knowing she was right. The day after Denise was killed, I overheard her and Daryl talking about taking her up there as soon as she got closer to having the baby, for safety reasons. “Alright,” I finally said with a sigh before turning back to what I was doing as she walked out of the room to get her own bag packed. Much to my dislike, when everyone saw what I was taking to get Maggie, and now Kathryn, to the Hilltop, Abraham and others were offering to go with us to help out.

So now it was me, Abraham, Carl, Aaron, Eugene, Sasha, and Kathryn going with Maggie to the Hilltop. Aaron was in the back with Kathryn and Maggie, trying to keep them calm while we got on our way. I had Abraham driving so I could go to the back and check on them both. Kathryn was sitting with Maggie, Maggie’s head in her lap as she stroked her head to try and help her relax. “Everything will be okay,” I said as I peered up at both of them when I knelt down to be closer to Maggie, “the Hilltop will help make things better.” I watched as Kathryn gave me a small smile before she peered down at Maggie.

**KATHRYN’S POV**

I was scared for Maggie. She was in so much pain, and still had a long ride to get to the Hilltop before we’d know what was going on. When the RV stopped, I began to panic as everyone started to exit out of the RV and leaving me and Maggie in the back where we were. We were told to keep quiet as they exited. I could faintly hear talking but I couldn’t make out what was being said. I just waited for Dad and the others to come back and tell us if everything was going to be okay, or if we needed to worry.

This kept happening all day, finding one route, only to have to find another. It was slowly staring to get dark when Eugene finally spoke up, saying he’d take the RV and lead them away while we attempted to carry Maggie the remaining distance to the Hilltop. As much as we all were against it, we had no other option really. We said our goodbyes to Eugene before I watched as Dad, Aaron, Sasha, and Abraham each grabbed a side to the make-shift gurney we’d made to carry Maggie. I stood up front with Carl, gun in hand as we all began to walk the rest of the way.

But, things didn’t work out for us either way. The sound of whistles reached our ears before the sight of the Saviors reached our eyes. I was panicking as I looked around, standing near Carl, with my gun shaking in my hands. I hadn’t felt this scared in a long time. Not since I thought I lost my family when we lost the prison. They took our weapons before the one who seemed to be in control spoke. “Okay,” he said, “let’s get her down and get you on your knees. Got a lot to talk about.”


	146. Epilogue

Kathryn watched in silent horror as her dad and a few others helped place Maggie on the ground before helping her up to her feet and to where these Saviors wanted them to kneel. She walked over to her sick friend, grabbing her hand before help her to kneel down and taking the spot right next to her. Rick looked from his son to his eldest daughter, trying to come up with some plan, some way to get out of this alive and not lose his children in the process. But he came up blank.

He watched as one man moved a beaten Eugene over to kneel with the others before he finally knelt down himself beside his pregnant daughter. It pained him knowing that she was nearly done with her pregnancy and having to deal with all of this. He looked around at the others, watching as one by one, as everyone finally had their knees on the ground. Rick watched as a couple of the men moved away from him and his group, going over to some vehicle. What he saw next caused his head to shoot over to his daughter beside of him.

Kathryn watched as the doors opened and the men began pulling people out. And the first one pulled out was Daryl. Kathryn let out a shocked gasp and a whimper as she lifted her hands up quickly to cover her mouth. Daryl’s eyes, immediately went over to Kathryn, watching as she shook in fear. He could barely remember the last time he saw her looking this scared. It was back near the beginning, on the farm, when Shane tried and almost succeeded in raping her in that barn after finding out Sophia was dead. He hated seeing her like this, and there was nothing he could do in fear of getting her hurt.

Everyone’s attention turned towards the RV as a single man in a leather jacket with a baseball bat over his shoulder stepped out. “Pissing our pants yet,” he asked, this smug look on his face as he looked at the line of people in front of him. The man looked around at everyone, taunting them as he spoke about how things were going to change. The people from Alexandria were now working for the Saviors, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

“This,” the man said, “this is Lucille. And she is _awesome_. All of this, all of this is just so we can pick out which one of you gets the honor.” Kathryn watched on, slowly gaining her control over her emotions back as Negan walked around, taunting the group even more before he knelt down in front of her little brother. The three Grimes each now had the neutral look on each of their faces, something they all had in common. But when he was done messing with Carl, Negan made his way over towards Kathryn and Maggie, but his attention on Maggie.

“You look _shitty_ ,” Negan said as he stared down at her before his attention turned towards Kathryn, “and we got ourselves a _very_ pregnant woman.” Kathryn noticed off to the side as Daryl moved, a natural reflex for him lately after finding out she was pregnant. Quickly and trying to be subtle, Kathryn shook her head now to tell him not to move. Negan didn’t miss this and turned to look at Daryl. “Is he,” Negan started as he looked back to Kathryn, “he’s the father?” She didn’t say anything, just stared up at him with a neutral look on her face. “Well shit,” Negan said with a laugh before he continued on.

He looked back to Maggie, saying he should just put her out of her misery when Glenn charged him, trying to protect his wife. After getting him placed back in line, Negan turned and looked at every one of the people in front of him. “Don’t any of ya do _that_ again,” he said as he looked at them all, “I will shut that shit _down_ , no exceptions. First one’s free, it’s an emotional moment. I get it. Do it again, and there will be consequences.”

Negan looked around, his eyes going from Kathryn to Rick, from Rick to Carl, and from Carl to Kathryn as he slowly put two and two together. “These two,” he said as he pointed his bat from Carl to Kathryn, “they’re your kids aren’t they? They’re definitely your kids.” “Just stop this,” Rick shouted, starting the chain reaction that lead up to Negan starting the age old child’s game of Eenie, meenie, miney, mo. When the bat was in front of Kathryn, she didn’t flinch. Just simply stared up at him, her blue eyes showing no fear, just anger.

When Negan finally finished, he stood there, in front of his chosen victim before looking around at everyone else. “Anybody moves,” he said, “anybody says anything, cut the boy’s other eye out and feed it to his father and sister. And _then_ we’ll start. You can breathe, you can blink, you can cry. Hell, you’re all gonna be doing that.” Kathryn watched as Negan lifted the bat way up over his head before bringing it down on his chosen victim with full force. Kathryn wasn’t all that close to Abraham, but he’d been a part of the group for a while since Terminus and had helped out with stuff, even she knew he didn’t deserve that.

But, her pregnancy hormones got the best of her, and Kathryn had always been protective over her family and those in her group. She couldn’t stop herself as she leapt up to her feet, faster that anyone believed a fully pregnant woman could. “You son of a,” but her words stalled for a moment as everyone screamed out while a single bolt flew through the back of her head and was peeking out of her eye, “bitch.” “ _No_ ,” was Daryl’s shout as he moved to punch Negan square in the jaw. But it hadn’t been Negan who killed Kathryn, it was _Dwight_.

Daryl’s punch had been something Negan liked, but still his reaction had to be dealt with like he had said before. Getting Daryl back in line, as his eyes moved to look at the now lifeless body of the young pregnant red head, Negan moved over to another victim, and looked to Daryl as he told him that _this_ was all on him. In that next second, Negan brought Lucille down onto Glenn’s head several times before he too was now lifeless on the ground. Once he was done, Negan ordered everyone to pack up and leave as he grabbed Daryl by his arm and hauled him back into the truck from before. He was far from done with the redneck. But everyone else was left with the now 3 lifeless bodies.


	147. Alternate Ending

Kathryn helped Sasha and Maggie drag the bodies of their fallen members after the run in with Negan and his Saviors. Maggie had refused to leave Glenn's body there, waiting for some animal or walker to come and feast on what was left of him. But Kathryn could see that this was all still affecting Maggie greatly, that and she was still looking like she was on the edge of life and death as is. But Kathryn's own mind was elsewhere. Daryl had been taken with Negan, for what she didn't know and it frightened her.

She didn't like the idea that she might not ever see him again, that she'd have to raise their daughter without him. Shaking the thoughts from her mind, Kathryn helped out the best she could, not that Sasha liked her helping out so much. But she wasn't about to sit by and be useless while Maggie was dragging her dead husband's body while she looked horrible. No one knew what was wrong with Maggie yet, they were headed on foot to the Hilltop while Rick and the others headed back to do Negan's bidding for the safety of Alexandria.

Once the arrived at the Hilltop, they received help from everyone there, Jesus running to them when he noticed how bad off they all three seemed to be. Harlan checked over Maggie first, demanding that Kathryn hang around too so that he could look her over when he was finished with Maggie. Sasha, along with Jesus, got permission from Gregory to bury their fallen so they were out digging on the far side of the location near the perimeter. Kathryn, she was tapping her foot impatiently while she waited to hear how her best friend was doing.

When Harlan informed her what he'd told Maggie, Kathryn ran to her friend and hugged her tightly as she told her they'd get through it all together. After they helped Maggie down from the bed and moved her to somewhere else so she could rest, Harlan had Kathryn climb onto the bed next so that he could check on her daughter. He told her that with the stress he knows they went through, he's surprised it didn't induce her labor as she looked like she could go any time. That's when Kathryn's fear began to spike again. She didn't want to do this without Daryl, she didn't want to have their daughter alone.

It seemed like no time before 2 weeks had passed at the Hilltop since Kathryn, Maggie, and Sasha arrived there with their 2 fallen members. Kathryn's baby was still not here and she'd been ordered to stay near the trailer the girls had been given which was conveniently located near the trailer that Harlan used as a make-shift doctor's office. In that time, Maggie had begun to look much better than when she first arrived, but everyone else was still babying her slightly when they found out what was happening with her upon the girl's arrival into the Hilltop.

But it wasn't long before there was some sort of commotion at the front gate of the Hilltop. The Saviors had decided to send them a little present, with the help of Maggie and a few others, they were able to save the place from becoming a café of sorts for the walkers that had followed the noise of the car. Kathryn grew more anxious with each passing day as she grew closer to when she should have hers and Daryl's baby, and everyone could see how it was effecting her.

When Enid randomly showed up at the Hilltop, it gave Kathryn hope that maybe, just maybe, Daryl would make it away from the Saviors and make it to her. But each day he didn't show up, that hop dwindled down more and more. But then, one day, while Maggie was up on the wall for watch, she spotted something headed their way. When it got closer, all she could do was smile as she quickly climbed down the wall. "Kathryn," she shouted out, "Kathryn!" "Maggie what is it," Kathryn asked as she waddled as fast as she could over towards her smiling friend.

"You're going to want to see this," was all Maggie said as she led her friend over to the front gate. They watched, Maggie holding Kathryn's hand, as the gate was opened. And there, on the other side, was Daryl. "Oh my God," Kathryn cried out as she released her friend's hand and tried to run over towards Daryl as he nearly broke down into tears at the sight of her. He met her half way, his arms instinctively going around her as tightly as he dare without harming the baby she still carried.

"You're okay," Kathryn whispered, her head resting on Daryl's chest as she cried out tears of joy. "'Course I'm okay," Daryl said as he rocked her back and forth with his chin resting on top of her head, "just glad you are." In that moment, seeming to know that her daddy was nearby, their baby decided that it was finally time for her to come out and great the world. The second Kathryn felt some sort of liquid flow freely down her legs, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach which caused her to scream out as she backed away from Daryl.

"Kat what's wrong," Daryl asked before his eyes landed on the sweats she was wearing, "oh shit. Maggie, get Harlan!" Maggie wasted no time in running towards the trailer the only doctor was in as Daryl grabbed ahold of Kathryn and picked her up as gently as he could, carrying her in the direction Maggie ran off in. When he finally reached the trailer, Maggie stood at the door with Harlan, watching as Daryl carefully carried her up the steps and inside so that he could lay her down on the bed. When he sat her down and went to leave, Kathryn quickly grabbed ahold of his wrist.

"Please don't leave me alone," she pleaded as she looked up at him. Daryl could see the fear in her eyes that'd since returned when she found out what had happened to Denise. "I won't," he said as he turned back to face her and held onto her hand tightly. Harlan came into the room, pulling Kathryn's sweatpants off of her once he reached the bed she was laying on. Moving to where he could see better, he began talking Kathryn through what she needed to do. "You're doing great," Harlan said as he looked up at her, "give me another big push and she'll be here before you know it."

Doing as instructed, Kathryn gripped Daryl's hand tighter as she pushed with all her might before feeling the pressure in her lower stomach ease up. Seconds later, Kathryn and Daryl heard the most beautiful sound, their baby's cries. "Congratulations," Harlan said as he stood up with the baby already bundled up in a blanket, "you've got yourselves a healthy baby girl." Kathryn smiled down at her baby after Harlan handed her over before excusing himself from the trailer to give them a moment alone with their new child. Already, Kathryn could see the little tuffs of red hair on their daughter's head.

"She looks like you," Daryl commented as he looked from his daughter to her mother, this genuine smile on his face. Kathryn smiled up at him, exhausted and at a loss for words as the creation that she'd carried inside of her that was one part her and one part Daryl lay in her arms. She'd feared that Daryl wouldn't make it back in time to see the birth of their daughter, but she feared more that he wouldn't make it back period, that he would die before he got to see her. Thankfully, that didn't happen.

10 YEARS LATER

"Bryce what are you doing," Kathryn yelled up the stairs towards where she knew her daughter was at. "Nothing Mommy," Bryce called back as she appeared at the top of the stairs with little Hershel and her Aunt Judith. "You're not fooling me young lady," Kathryn said as she stared up at the mirror image of herself with a mix of Daryl, "what would your father say if he knew you were up to something." "Please don't tell Daddy," Bryce begged. "Please don't tell Daddy what," Daryl asked as he walked into the house they'd been given after returning to Alexandria once the mess with the Saviors was all over.

"Daddy," Bryce yelled as she ran down the stairs and straight into Daryl's arms, "you're home!" "Are you giving your Momma a hard time again," he asked as he placed her feet back on the ground. "No," she said a little too quickly before trying to give him an innocent smile. He gave her a look that said he didn't believe her before moving over to Kat and placing a kiss on her cheek, earning a chorus of 'ew's' from the children watching. Daryl and Kathryn both looked at the kids and laughed before their front door opened.

"Anybody home," a voice called out. "Grandpa," Bryce shouted as she ran from in front of her parents to greet her grandfather by the door. Kathryn, Daryl, Hershel, and Judy followed behind shortly after. "Hi Daddy," Kathryn smiled as she moved to hug Rick after he'd put Bryce back on her feet. "Good to have you back Daryl," Rick said as he looked over to the man that'd quickly became the love of his eldest child's life within the span of a year in the apocalypse. Things weren't always easy for everyone, but they were making it through, day by day. And taking on whatever obstacle the reached, together.


End file.
